Shadows and Light
by aemelia113
Summary: Marinette and Chat Noir find common ground and fall hard for each other, even while struggling with doubts about themselves and how they will make this relationship work. A slip of the tongue leads to Chat's worst nightmare and a very powerful akuma- Marinette. Shameless Marichat, rated T for sin in later chapters. Cover art: talented sociopathinblack @tumblr. Look@ their cool art!
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello! I know I keep posting a ton of Miraculous Ladybug stuff in rapid succession, but I can't help it! This show really has its claws in me after less than a month since seeing the pilot. I've been writing fic after fic about it. My love for Miraculous Ladybug is too strong. This is shamelessly Marichat and has some serious sin later on. They're children, so no smut here, but there are some makeouts. Unnecessary disclaimer: I don't own this show, nor do I own these characters, even though I think of them as my babies. They are precious cinnamon rolls too good for this world and their real parents, especially Thomas Astruc, should be proud.**

Prologue: Something About Mari

Chat Noir crouches on a rooftop across from Marinette's balcony, trying to convince himself that he isn't a stalker. He's just... interested. Where was the confident, level-headed, feisty Marinette he saw tonight when she talked to Adrien?

When his Lady had asked him to keep her safe from the Evil-istrator, he had treated it like a routine "watch over the helpless targeted victim" job, but it was anything but standard. Marinette had defied his every expectation. She thought of a solution to the problem of the box long before he did, and even though she hadn't kept it for long, she had gotten the pen away from the drawing akuma exactly as planned. She was a crafty one. How had he missed it? Has he truly been so blind to the amazing girl in front of him?

Well, if he has, it's hardly his fault. Chat Noir knows that she is good at thinking quickly and calming people down in emergencies. He's seen it in action. He has seen Marinette be charming and funny and friendly with people, but it is never directed at him.

He has never gotten the impression that she _dislikes_ him, but every time he attempts to make contact, she stammers, mutters excuses, squeaks like a frightened mouse, and runs away. Could it be that she really is afraid of him? He's never given her a reason to be that he can remember. Maybe she's just intimidated by his celebrity status? It wouldn't be the first time someone had been scared to talk to him because of who his father is.

Suddenly, he sees a flash of movement in the window. Marinette has walked past to get something on her desk. Chat blushes furiously and glances away when he sees that she's only wearing a sports bra and a pair of shorts. Not that he minds what he sees, but he was raised to be a gentleman. Those lessons don't always stick, but he is pretty sure he has crossed the line into creepy territory at this point.

He stands and stretches his back until it pops, arms lifted over his head. It's getting late anyway. Time he was getting home and giving Plagg a rest. He vaults over the rooftops, revelling in the feeling of the wind raking through his hair as he alternates between a sprinting and rolling parkour and high leaps aided by his telescoping staff.

Chat Noir lands on his own balcony, lets the transformation fade, and suddenly Adrien Agreste stands in the place of Paris' second favorite superhero. Plagg floats over to a pre-prepared plate of cheese and starts munching in silence. That's unusual. He typically won't shut up.

"What are you thinking, Plagg?" he asks, stripping off his street clothes to exchange them for an undershirt and some boxers.

"Oh, nothing, really. I was just thinking about how your heart only ever pounds that hard thinking about Ladybug," the kwami replies with a shrug and a big bite of Camembert.

"That- that's ridiculous," Adrien scoffs, voice cracking. "I'm in love with Ladybug. Marinette is just a friend. I mean, not that she isn't great. She's brave and kind and smart and selfless and really pretty..." He shuts his mouth shut with an audible snap.

Plagg levels a look at him. "Hmm. Sounds like _quite_ the friend..." he trails off suggestively.

"So what if she's amazing? So what if I like her? She can't even _look_ at me when I'm Adrien," he sighs.

"She looked at you plenty as Chat Noir," Plagg points out, still absorbed in his snack.

"But I can't _date_ her as Chat Noir," Adrien counters.

"Why not?" the kwami drawls carelessly, finishing the last crumbles of cheese.

"Why not? Like, million reasons. Because she- Because I- Because we can't- Because it's too..." he falters. "You know what? Yeah. Why not? If there's anything the ladies love, it's a man in uniform. I might actually have a shot as Chat. She doesn't seem to have a problem talking to me when I'm wearing the mask. You're completely right, Plagg. I'm gonna do it!" he exclaims, eyes shining in anticipation.

"You use the term 'man' awfully loosely," Plagg chuckles.

"Shut up, Plagg," he laughs. "Not even your malicious attitude can ruin my mood right now."

 _She already thinks of me as a cool hero. It's not far from there to friends and not far from there to asking her out. But I'll lead with the flirting anyway. Gotta make my intentions clear from the start. One day, hopefully soon, Marinette will like me back,_ he thought to himself with a sappy smile _._

Meanwhile, as a certain alley cat plots to woo her, Marinette is snuggling down to sleep plagued by confusing thoughts.

When Chat Noir flirted with her, complimented her skills, she had been too much in Ladybug mode to really notice beyond the usual annoyance, but reflecting back on the evening, even remembering the moments is enough to make her blush.

She is in love with Adrien and had been for ages. She can't have a crush on that amorous tomcat! No matter how good he looks in his form-fitting suit...

No! She has to stay strong! No more dangerous thoughts of Chat Noir. Besides, it's not like he'll see her as Marinette too often, if ever again. Mixing her personal and professional lives is risky. She's always rolled her eyes at his advances as Ladybug because they're partners and have to stay professional. It is bad enough that he lets his emotions rule his actions and throws himself in front of danger to protect her all the time. She can't let herself fall into the same habits. For Paris.

 _I am not going to let myself fall for Chat Noir,_ she vowed.

Little did the heroes know, one of them couldn't be more wrong.


	2. Fluff & Serious Stuff (Kitty to Panther)

A/N: WARNING! There is serious sin and violence and suggestion of sexual violence in this chapter. Just so you know. Be prepared. Also, the disclaimer literally no one needs: I don't own ML or its affiliated characters. Le sigh.

Chapter 1: Will You Be My Purr-incess?

Chat decided to make his first move in a semi-public place. He ran the rooftops that morning on Marinette's route to school and spotted her taking a detour to pass through the park gardens. He grinned. All that tree cover was _purr_ fect. He dropped into a maple tree and hung upside down right in Marinette's face, startling her. He grinned as wide as the Cheshire cat when she gave a surprised gasp.

"Hi, Princess. Fancy meeting _mew_ here," he quipped.

"Chat Noir. Not that it's not great to see you, but what exactly are you doing following me around to jump out at me with cat puns before noon?" Marinette sighed, fighting to keep a smile off her lips.

"Oh, you know. Just missed you. We had quite the adventure last night. Wanted to check on you in the daylight hours to make sure you were doing okay. You disappointed about akumas screwing up your date?"

"I'm fine, Chat. And the date was kind of with the akuma in the first place so he didn't destroy Paris. It's sweet of you to check on me, though," the girl assured him.

"Well, that's good to hear, but I think I'd better walk you to school anyway. These streets can be dangerous, you know," he said, happy she hadn't considered it a real date with Nathaniel.

"Chat," Marinette sighed with an eye roll, "At 8:30 in the morning? Really?"

"Alright. I give in. Maybe I just want to spend a little time with you," he confessed.

She raised an eyebrow. "And why would you want to do that?"

"You made quite the impression on me last night. I've seen you around before, but we were never properly introduced. You were a big help with the Evil-istrator. I had no idea that you were so amazing. I feel like I've been missing out."

She blushed furiously. "If only other people saw me that way," she sighed.

"It's their loss, Princess," he murmured sincerely, concern shining in his emerald eyes.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "I've got to get to class."

"I'll walk you," he insisted, flipping over and dropping to the ground on all fours, only to pop up next to her with a sharp-toothed grin and slide an arm around her shoulders.

She gently shrugged it off but smiled at him and let him walk next to her as she strolled to school. They spent a few moments in companionable silence, just letting the beauty of the place wash over them. Something occurred to Chat Noir.

"Hey, this is out of the way from your parents' bakery. Why do you cut through here?"

"How do you know where I live?"

"Occupational hazard," he dismissed. "So, why?"

"I love to grow things. Flowers are something I am passionate about. Plants are just so fascinating. Take these Angel's trumpets, for example. They're hard to cultivate and smell amazing, but ever take a bite out of one and you'll go belly-up," she informed, pointing at the large, dangling blooms.

"Huh. I didn't know that. Teach me more about flowers," he prompted.

So she educated him about the plants until they reached the edge of the park, across the street from school. He watched her face light up as she talked about the different species and their properties. He paid attention to the actual conversation, of course, but it was hard not to be distracted by how cute she was when she was speaking passionately about something.

"That was... nice," Marinette admitted. "I wouldn't mind hanging out again sometime."

"I look forward to it, Princess," Chat Noir purred with a smile. "I'm _paws_ itively excited."

"Ugh. Perhaps I spoke too soon," Marinette teased. "See you around, _Chaton_."

"I am a full grown cat, I'll have you know. Not a kitten," he huffed.

"If you can call me Princess, I can call you _Chaton_. Now I have to get to class."

"Bye, Princess!" he called.

Marinette waved over her shoulder and jogged into the building. She sat in her usual seat, got out her notebook, and made small talk with Alya once she arrived. Adrien skidded into the room seconds before the bell and threw himself into his seat before Mme. Bustier could turn around to notice his near tardiness.

 _That's odd,_ Marinette mused. _He's usually fairly punctual._

She shrugged it off as a rare occurrence of him being slightly off of his rigid schedule and turned her attention to the beginning of the day's lecture.

Marinette saw Chat Noir only a couple days later, true to his word. Of course, she had seen him in the meantime as Ladybug, but that was a routine fight. She didn't count it. He was as charming and full of cat puns as last time.

His visits became a regular thing. He would drop out of nowhere to stroll with her or sit in a corner of the park or stand by the Seine. She began to really look forward to hearing "Hey, Princess" from over her head. Then she would look up and see his green, slitted eyes sparkling with good humor and his flirtatious cat-ate-the-canary grin. He continued to flirt relentlessly with her, and one day, after a particularly bad day of stuttering around Adrien, she couldn't just tease him back like she always did. Adrien had been paying more attention to her than usual and it had only made her inability to talk to him worse. She had wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, but she hadn't needed a hole to disappear. She was good at blending into the background when she wasn't tripping over things.

"What's wrong, _Purr_ incess? Cat got your tongue?" he joked.

"Oh, nothing, Chat. Just feeling more invisible than usual today," she reassured with a soft smile.

"Who could help but notice you?" Chat asked, seeming genuinely curious.

"Well, this boy I like, for one," she chuckled. "I see him every day, but there are times when I don't think he knows I exist."

"Is this guy visually impaired, perhaps? It may just be that cats have excellent eyesight, but when I'm wherever you are, you're the first thing I see," he said in a tone that was part sincerity and part over-the-top flirting.

Her cheeks flamed. "No. I'm pretty sure that I'm just the exception."

"Pity. The poor fool has no idea what he's missing out on. I know a thing or two about liking someone who doesn't feel the same, so if you ever want to talk about it, I'm around. Just give a catcall," he offered with a warm smile.

Marinette was surprised. She hadn't known any of the flirting with Ladybug had actually been serious. She had assumed that it was just part of his personality. Maybe she could make an effort to be kinder to Chat on patrols and missions. She also felt a flutter in her stomach as he promised to be around to lend an ear to her troubles. It was... sweet, a trait she didn't always associate with the flamboyant and funny feline.

The conversation turned from unrequited love to work at the bakery and what it was like to have cat powers. Ever since that talk, Marinette couldn't stop the niggling idea that maybe Chat's affections were real, though not necessarily true love, still more than absent-minded, habitual flirting with any girl he came in contact with. She'd never seen him flirt with Chloe or any other girl as Ladybug, after all. It was possible that he really liked her.

Of all the reasons Marinette and Chat Noir's relationship could have become more intimate, it was because of a quirk of having cat powers.

Because he'd been spending so much time as Chat lately, he'd noticed more and more cat creeping into his personality, more so as his alter ego than as Adrien. He enjoyed stretching out in warm sunbeams, batting at leaves, and using mock stalking behaviors on pigeons and whatnot. But there had also been a persistent itching under his skin that no amount of scratching could fix. It kept getting worse, but all Plagg would say about it was that cats need a lot of attention. His kwami was often cryptic and unhelpful, but now was a poor time to showcase that particular aspect of the little creature's personality.

He was on patrol one night when it got particularly bad, in a spot on his back that he couldn't reach. He growled in frustration. What could he do? Could Ladybug help him? Maybe she had some side effects with her powers as well and would understand and know what to do. He called her, but like every time that she was de-transformed, it didn't go through. Who else could he turn to?

His mind immediately flashed to Marinette. She'd be shy about it, of course, but she would help him. She had a very sweet and generous nature and liked to aid people in need. And, boy, was he in need. He vaulted over to the roof of the Dupain-Cheng bakery and knocked on her trapdoor. He waited in twitchy agony until she came out, draped in a kimono-like robe over her springtime pajamas. She stared at him quizzically.

"Chat Noir? What are you doing on my roof?"

"I need your help," he groaned.

"With what? Is it an akuma? If it is, you should really call Ladybug. She'd be a lot more useful in this situation."

"No. It's not an akuma. My back really itches in a place I can't reach and it's been driving me crazy for weeks. It's kind of embarrassing, but would you mind to scratch it for me?" he begged with pleading eyes.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to make the sad eyes at me, silly kitty. I don't mind a bit. Where is it?"

He crouched so she could reach it better and directed her to the spot. The second her fingernails started gently scraping over his suit, he sighed in relief. He arched his back against her hand, exactly like a real cat. She giggled at his antics and moved her hand up to between his shoulder blades, drawing her nails in alternating vigorous and lazy circles over his entire back and shoulders. When he purred, like actually purred with a deep rumble in his chest, she laughed out loud. She switched hands and used her liberated right hand to scritch under his chin. He closed his eyes and mewed involuntarily. She dropped to her knees and began petting his head, running her fingers through his hair and over his ears. When they twitched, she gave a startled gasp.

"Oh! I didn't know they were real. They look pinned on," she explained.

"Yeah, they're real. I can feel it when you scratch them and I can use them to hear really well," he answered, stretching deeply on all fours.

"Cool. So, is this okay?" she checked, hovering her hand over his head hesitantly, fingers curled into her palm.

"This is _amazing_ ," he assured her. "You really know how to pet a cat, Princess. Could you do it again?" he asked, butting his head against her hand.

"Silly kitty. Of course I can."

She complied and rubbed him all over his face and back. Her fingertips ghosted over his neck and he rumbled like a motorboat again. Without meaning to, he flopped across her lap, but she didn't seem to mind. She hummed a song to herself as she moved her magic hands across his suit. It didn't feel like there was any fabric between them. Marinette was sinfully good at this. She knew all the best petting spots. The only thing that stopped him from keeping her up all night was the beeping of his ring. With a reluctant sigh, he stood and stretched, arms over his head, until his back popped.

"I can't thank you enough for this, Princess, but it's time for me to go."

"Did I help?" Marinette asked kindly.

"Yeah. You helped a lot, actually. I'm _feline_ much better, thanks."

She groaned at his cat pun. "You must be if you're making ridiculous puns again. Goodnight, _Chaton_. See you around."

"Goodnight, Princess," he murmured, capturing her hand and pressing a kiss to the knuckles.

She turned scarlet. Marinette watched as Chat Noir sprang away across the rooftops of Paris. It had been a surreal experience, but one she had enjoyed. She had always been a cat person, but Maman was allergic, so she had never been allowed to have one. Chat Noir was a person, of course, a boy underneath the mask, a friend. But it still was nice that this kind of made up for all the childhood years where she missed out on showering affection on a kitty cat. She liked having the feline superhero around.

It was a good thing that Marinette liked petting Chat Noir because the first time would not be the last.

He knocked on her trapdoor a week later, looking guilty.

"Hey, Princess. It's bad again. Apparently, cats need petting and I'm no exception, but if you don't want to, I'll understand..." he babbled awkwardly. For once, she wasn't the one stammering.

"Of course I'll help you, _Chaton_. Any time. Move out of the way so I can come up, silly kitty."

He moved aside with an expression of shock on his face that melted into one of rapture when she broke out the magic hands.

It became a regular occurrence for him to knock four times on her roof to signal that he had come for petting. One such night, it started raining buckets. Chat offered to leave, but she rolled her eyes, calling him a silly kitty and inviting him in.

His eyes widened as he took in all the pink. He honestly hadn't expected anything else from Marinette, but the welcoming, inherently feminine space was very homey. It felt like a very intimate setting, but Marinette treated it like she brought stray superheroes into her room in the middle of the night all the time. She sat down on the chaise lounge and patted the space next to her, beckoning him to come over. He sat a respectful distance away at first, but once she started up with the magic hands, he couldn't help but sprawl across her lap with a contented sigh.

After that night, he would announce his presence with those four knocks and Marinette would call him to come in. He would drop through the trapdoor and sit in a feline crouch on her bed until she sat down on the chaise, where he would join her. His cat-like tendencies continued to become more evident. He would give her affectionate kitty blinks and rub his head against her arm. One time, he tried to twine around her ankles and she nearly fell down. He caught her in his arms and never did that again, only rubbing up against her legs sometimes when the cat came out to play.

He persisted in flirting with her relentlessly and he could tell that she was softening to him. It was clear that she was still pining for whatever blind idiot couldn't see that she was in love with him, though. He had been subtly checking out all the guys in the class, but there was no one that she flirted with or paid special attention to. Who could it be? He found himself jealous of any males she talked to, but he didn't say or do anything to show it. How could he? It wasn't as though he and Marinette were an item, as either of his identities.

He tried to talk to her more as Adrien, to get to know her, but she always squeaked and ran or fumbled her sentences. He was getting to know her pretty well as Chat Noir, though. They would talk during the times she petted him, even though he was very easily distracted by her magic hands. Her favorite color was pink (obviously), her favorite pastry to make was macarons, but she preferred cupcakes to eat, especially with loads of strawberry icing. She liked to sketch fashions in front of the Eiffel tower and stroll in gardens or by the Champs Elysees. She wanted to be a designer when she grew up, and she was trying to teach herself to speak Mandarin. She hated snow, math, geography, and apple juice. She didn't care for TV but was secretly a big fan of horror movies. The American director Stephen King was her favorite. Sometimes it was difficult to remember whether or not Adrien knew these things so he didn't slip up and mention something that only Chat Noir knew.

Nino had noticed how much he stared after Marinette and asked him about it.

"Dude. You've been staring at Mari for like fifteen minutes. You keep sighing, too. What's up with you?"

"Um, nothing. Just thinking that it's weird how the four of us hang out so much and yet I don't really know her that well. I'd like to, but she always runs away from me or screams or something. I think she might be scared of me," he admitted.

"Bro. You're clueless, you know that?" Nino pointed out with an incredulous stare.

"What?"

"Not my story to tell, buddy. But keep trying. I guarantee you that she's not afraid of you," Nino replied with a shake of his head.

Adrien wasn't sure what he meant, but he was encouraged. Nevertheless, he was determined to focus

He was crazy about her, but she still stubbornly resisted his advances, out of some misplaced loyalty to the sap that had no idea how much she cared about him. She stayed "just friends" with him until after a certain incident and what followed it.

Marinette had been working late on a project with Alya and lost track of time. It was late, but she insisted she could walk herself home just fine. If she ran into trouble, she only had to get away long enough to turn into Ladybug and cure the akuma. Marinette walked down the dark and empty streets, thinking about some changes that she wanted to make to a dress she was designing. She suddenly felt a chill up her spine. She stopped dead, looked around, saw nothing. She shivered and resumed walking at a faster pace. She didn't see the meaty hand dart out of the alley until it had snatched her by the collar and yanked her into the shadows.

The big, sweaty fingers clamped down over her mouth so hard she could barely breathe, let alone yell. The man, disheveled and dirty, had a hungry, predatory gleam in the depths of his mud-colored eyes. He licked his lips, smirking.

"Well, what do we have here? A pretty little thing like you out so late all alone? What would your mother think?" he laughed mockingly. "I don't suppose you have any trinkets you'd like to donate to a fellow in need?"

She shook her head mutely.

"Not willing to part with a few bits and bobs? How selfish of you," he sneered.

Marinette said something behind his hand, muffled by the calloused, foul-smelling flesh. He curled his lip and took his hand away by a fraction, making it clear that he would not hesitate to hit her if she tried to call for help.

"I don't have anything to give you. I wasn't carrying any money and I don't have anything of value. Please, just let me go."

"That's a shame. But I don't believe you. I think you have _something_ of value in lieu of money..." he chuckled suggestively, brushing his other hand against her stomach and pressing closer.

Her breath hitched in her chest and her body felt numb and cold with fear while her eyes pricked hot with tears. When he grabbed her hips roughly, she found her voice to scream, but the criminal backhanded her. Her head snapped back into the brick and she saw stars. She blinked in a daze, a small whimper escaping her white lips. She had been so _stupid_. She had been so focused on akuma super-villains that she had entirely forgotten about the ordinary, base criminals. How could she be so careless?

She was going to die here. She was going to get raped and murdered and dumped in an alley. What would her parents think? Alya? Her classmates? Adrien? And what about Chat Noir? What would he do without Ladybug? How would the rest of Paris fare, for that matter? Surely Tikki would choose a new Ladybug to carry on the name and keep Paris safe, but it wouldn't be her. Chat would be without his partner. He'd be stuck with some new girl who didn't have a clue when he needed someone with experience. Oh, what had she done?

Adrien had been over at Nino's in secret to study for the physics test and was walking down the street, whistling to himself. He loved the city at night. It was quiet and glowing and beautiful. The stillness was a nice contrast to the usual bustle of the daytime. He was about to reach the corner where he would turn to go to the mansion when he heard a choked scream that sounded familiar. He slipped closer and peered into the alley in time to see a thug slap a girl across the face. When it was whipped towards him, he noticed the little black pigtails and the big blue eyes.

 _Marinette._

He saw red. As much as it killed him to run away, even a short distance, he knew that his Princess needed Chat Noir right now, not Adrien. He released his kwami from his jacket.

"Adrien, I know you're angry, but remember that this is a human, not an akuma. You need to hold back or your strength could seriously hurt him," the little creature cautioned.

"I'm sorry but I can't make any promises. He has Marinette."

"Adrien-" the kwami protested.

"Plagg, claws out."

The attacker had just begun to slide his hand under her shirt when he was suddenly yanked off by someone who yowled in rage. Marinette blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision enough to see her savior.

 _Chat Noir?_

His eyes were hard chips of emerald and his lips were pulled back in a snarl. He looked _pissed_. The bad guy was splayed across the alleyway, towards the dead end instead of the entrance. Chat moved to put himself between Marinette and the man, baton at the ready. The perpetrator groaned in pain and sat up, looking for who had hit him, holding his sore jaw. His eyes landed on Chat Noir and he visibly relaxed.

"Oh. It's you. See, there's been a misunderstanding, Chat Noir. I'm not an akuma victim, and neither is she. There's nothing for you to do here," the man explained calmly, getting to his feet.

"And you think that makes it _better_?" he hissed with such venom that the giant took a step back and a flicker of uncertainty crossed the brute's face. "You think that because you are in your right mind when attacking an innocent girl with your vile touch is going to make me _less_ angry with you? If that is the case, you are sorely mistaken. I. Am. _Furious_. And you are not laying another finger on this girl ever again."

"Whoa, man. Take it easy. I was just-"

"Attempting sexual assault? Yeah, I noticed that. It's kind of what I'm mad about, actually," he interrupted.

"Look, normal crime isn't your job. Why don't you just run along like a good kitty and let me finish-"

The rest of the slimy man's words were cut off with a strangled gurgle. Chat had moved quick as lightning and pinned him by the throat to the wall opposite from the one Marinette was frozen against. His claws gouged into the skin of the attacker's neck so deeply that rivulets of blood dripped down his black glove. The huge guy desperately tried to shove Chat away, but it was no use. There was a deadly gleam in his eye and he grinned in a way that unsettled the criminal, pointed canines peeking out from between his curled lips.

"Let me explain something to you, you pathetic piece of filth," Chat growled. "Cats are _very_ protective of things that belong to us. Mess with those things, and we will make you regret it. So, basically- this girl is under my personal protection. She is _mine_ , and should I catch you or any other lowlifes so much as looking at her, I will shred you into pieces strip by strip until there are only scraps left. Is that understood?"

The man nodded and Chat released him. His feet thumped to the concrete and he nearly lost his balance. Marinette hadn't realized that Chat had been holding him so high off the ground. Chat turned to her to ask if she was alright, but the man had pulled a knife and made as if to swipe it at him. She called a warning that was ubiquitous. Chat turned and twisted the hand holding the weapon so hard and swift that Marinette heard an audible snap. The man screamed, but the sound stopped when Chat punched him in the stomach, making him gag, desperately searching for breath. The man stumbled back, but Chat wasn't done. He punched the attacker again and again, pummeling him until he crumpled to the ground. He slashed his claws across the man's chest viciously, spraying blood across the bricks. There were four neat lacerations in a set of diagonal lines reaching from his right shoulder to his left hip. The villain was unconscious at last, and Chat, breathing heavily, turned to Marinette.

His first thought was her safety. The second was worry that she would be afraid of him. He'd never hurt anyone like that before, never gone that far. And this wasn't even an akuma. Would she be disappointed in him? But he found no judgement or fear in her eyes, only surprise, exhaustion, and tension. And shame, as she fumbled the button to her jeans closed. He burned with rage anew at the criminal who had dared lay hands on Marinette. But he had to stay calm. The last thing she needed was for him to be intimidating or visibly livid. She was shaken enough as it was.

"Princess?" he asked hesitantly. "You okay?"

"Yes. No? Not really," she sighed. "Will you take me home? I don't- I don't want to walk by myself. I'm scared."

"Absolutely, Princess. I'm right here," he reassured her, stepping closer and sliding an arm around her waist.

She clung to him like a life raft as they pole vaulted over rooftops to her own terrace. He didn't let go of her until they were in her bedroom. He looked over her. Her cheek had a bruise beginning and he fought back the impulse to go back and tear that creep apart. Her pigtails were askew and she was trembling. He wanted to comfort her, but she wouldn't want him to after what he did. He didn't regret it. He'd kept her safe. That was more important than the fact that he'd beaten a man half to death. He wasn't sorry. The monster deserved it.

"Marinette? If you're doing alright, I can go. I'll just patrol around your house for a bit to make sure the perimeter is secure," he promised.

He turned to go, but Marinette grabbed his hand. The one with that guy's blood on it. She didn't seem to care. Her eyes were pleading and sparkled with moisture.

"Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone. I'd feel safer if you stayed, as long as you can. Please," she repeated.

"You aren't upset about what I did to that man?"

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I- I've never seen you like that before, but no. I'm not upset. He would have done worse to me. You saved my life. Again. I don't want to be alone," she reiterated. "I need you."

"Okay, Princess. It's okay. I'm here."

She collapsed into his arms, sobbing. He held her and stroked her head, murmuring words of comfort. He let her cry into his shoulder until she ran out of tears. He carried her to the bed and set her down, scooting up next to her and draping an arm over her back. She leaned her head into his chest, sniffling, trying to get her breath back. Once she had calmed down somewhat, he began to rub her back in small circles with his thumb. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Thank you, Chat. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there."

"Any time, Princess."

"My family would have been devastated. And Alya would have lost a best friend." Chat Noir goggled at her and she was confused. "What?"

"You know, most people that have a near death experience, their first thought is everything they never got to do, never got to say. The dreams left on the shelf. But you- you thought about your family, your friends. That kind of selflessness, it's rare. Has anybody ever told you that you're amazing?" he asked sincerely.

"Just you, mostly," she mumbled, face on fire. "You don't have to try to make me feel better."

"But it's true. You're great, Marinette. Sweet and brave and generous and brilliant. I could fill a book with all the things I love about you."

There was a pregnant pause. His ears burned when he realized what he'd said.

"You- you... love me? Me? Really?" she stammered.

The disbelief in her voice made him sad. Did she really not see her value? He would have to put it in terms that could not in any way be misunderstood.

"Yes, you, and yes, really. You're my best friend and I think you're beautiful and wonderful and frequently want to kiss you on the lips."

Her face was as pink as her room. She smiled shyly. She chewed her lip, thinking.

Marinette felt her internal conflicts begin to dissolve. She had feelings for Adrien, but he had never been any friendlier to her than to Alya or Nino or anyone. Chat was right here. He was handsome and he cared about her so much, and the feeling was mutual. Why had she been denying herself this? He was brave and kind and considerate and funny and so... wonderful. She felt her resolve harden. She wanted this. She wanted him. She took his face in her hands and brought her lips to millimeters from his.

"Is this okay?" she breathed.

"Yes. Very much yes," Chat agreed vehemently. "Is this okay with you?"

"Yes. Absolutely," she consented.

She needed no further encouragement. Her lips met his gently at first, warm and soft, exploring. He broke to trail kisses down her collarbone. She moaned in pleasure and he stopped, concerned, but she urged him to keep going. She ran her hands over all his favorite petting spots, alternating between feather-light caresses and invigorating scratches. He purred at her and she wanted his mouth on hers again. She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and guided his face closer to hers. Their lips crashed together violently. The kiss became hot, hungry, desperate. Adrenalin was still pumping through both of their veins from the earlier events and they took frantic comfort in the frenzy of each other. His tongue teased her lower lip until she parted them and then it slid along her own and she hummed in satisfaction.

He flipped over so he was straddling her hips and she stretched back on the bed in a long, languorous motion. His eyes burned with desire as they traced the lines of her taut muscles. She imagined that her face looked the same. They came together again, Chat kneading the flesh of her hips and Marinette burying her fingers in his golden hair. She shrugged off her jacket and grasped the fabric of her shirt, yanking it over her head. Chat rasped his tongue over the skin of her neck, then placed kisses in the hollow of her throat and progressed lower until he nipped at the space between her breasts, sucking on the spot.

Marinette peeled his suit down to his waist, eyeing his muscled chest in appreciation. She ran her fingernails over it and made a few love bites of her own. He stripped off his gloves and ran his hands up her arms and down her sides, making her shiver as they left trails of heat along her skin. He pressed kisses into her stomach, flicking out his tongue to taste her skin periodically. Marinette reversed their positions so that she was straddling his lap. She took his lip between her teeth and tugged, then showered his face with kisses, nuzzling his ear and pressing him as close as he could be. They were so tangled up in each other that they almost didn't notice the beeping.

They broke apart with a gasp. Chat frantically put his missing costume pieces back on while Marinette scrambled for her clothes as well. They sat next to each other, re-dressed, on Marinette's bed, panting. Her eyes slid sideways and met his own gaze and they both broke into manic grins. She slid closer and wrapped a leg around his.

"So, you have to go, huh?" she asked with a smile.

"Believe me, I wish I could stay," he groaned. "We're going to have to figure out a way around that so we don't get interrupted again."

"I like the sound of that."

"What, finding a solution to transforming back so fast?"

"No, 'again,'" she replied mischievously.

"No, don't make the eyes at me," he groaned. "If you make the eyes at me, I'll want to stay, and I will stay, and I'll reveal my secret identity and you won't think I'm mysterious anymore. And we can't have that."

"Go on, _Chaton,_ " she laughed. "You're down to two paw pads. I understand. But thanks for saving me. I look forward to our next rendezvous."

"So do I, Princess. Until next time," he flirted, kissing the back of her hand.

"Oh, and Chat? I love you, too," she told him.

With that, he leapt from the bed to the roof, then vaulted across Paris, smiling so wide his face hurt.

Marinette lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, marveling at the turn of events that led to her becoming Chat Noir's... what, girlfriend? She was still shaken by her experience in the alley, but the warmth flooding her from what came after her rescue pushed that to the back of her mind. She loved Chat Noir. Being a designer, the best way she could think of to express it was fashion. She had the whole weekend to figure out an outfit to impress him and make that statement. Since she was still buzzing with the heady feeling of making out with her _Chaton_ , she wasn't going to sleep anyway. She drew with frenetic energy, scrawling idea after idea on the pages of her sketchbook. She ran out of steam around two in the morning. She looked down at her most recent drawing and grinned. Oh, her kitty was going to _love_ this.

A/N: PSA- Okay, so I know the jump from being sexually assaulted to hot and heavy make out with Chat was more than a little fast, but I'm not trying to be insensitive to victims of sex crimes, I promise! I did my best to make the distinction between unwanted aggressive physical contact and consensual expression of feeling between two enthusiastically willing parties very clear. There is a difference between violent sexual advances from some adult criminal and intense kissing with a close friend that she is attracted to that she wanted and verbally agreed to. Please do not take offense to the abrupt transition. That's all I wanted to say. Extra big hugs to those of you who have been victims to sexual assault or have loved ones who have been victims. I wish you nothing but the best going forward in your lives, lovelies. May you find strength and healing. Additional hugs, Me.


	3. The Fluffiest Just The fluffiest

A/N: No warnings this chapter. It is pure fluff. Outfit inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, but did not pin and therefore I cannot identify the artist. So sorry! Anyhow, pointless disclaimer: I don't own ML or its characters. I wouldn't even want to own Chloe. The ML creators can keep her. *hisses in fictional character's direction to emphasize that shade is being thrown* Okay, enough salt about Mademoiselle Bourgeois. Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 2: Hey, Feline, You Look So Fine

Marinette sashayed into school on Monday with all the self-confidence she possessed as Ladybug. She got quite a few looks and instead of flinching away, she grinned and waved. She knew she looked good, and more importantly, that Chat was going to be thrilled when he saw this outfit.

Everyone had been admiring of her new clothes, but when she strode into the classroom, Adrien's jaw hit the floor. It was comical, really. The first time she'd been sure he noticed her and it was too late. She already had a beau. Nino was also goggling, but Alya smacked him on the back of the head for staring. She was grinning at Marinette, though. She mouthed, "Tell me everything." Marinette had covered the bruise with makeup to avoid unwanted questions or the outfit would not have been the first thing her BFF noticed. When her boyfriend recovered with a sheepish grin and a "Cool threads, Mari," he reached over to shut his best friend's gaping mouth with a click. Adrien shook his head and swallowed nervously a few times, the tips of his ears going pink. Ha! It was nice for _him_ to be the flustered one for once. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, searching for words. She waited patiently.

"That's a nice-" he croaked, then cut himself off to clear his throat. He tried again with more success, "That's a nice outfit, Marinette. Did you design it?"

"Yes, I did. Just this weekend, actually. There's a special someone I'm hoping will like it," she answered without stammering or mixing her words even once.

Feeling bold, she gave a little twirl and beamed at her friends.

The outfit was a long-sleeved, green cold shoulder crop top with a black cat silhouette and the words "Cats are better than boys." embroidered in black typewriter font, paired with a tulle skirt that came down to her knees in several fluffy layers of pleated black fabric. Her accessories included black leather ankle boots with Chat Noir's green pawprint pinned to the straps in place of buckles, a velvet choker that had a little bell on it like Chat's, and- the kicker- a knit black beanie with little cat ears. Her nails were painted green and her makeup was fierce, with sharp winged eyeliner and dark lipstick.

Adrien felt his heart stop. He wasn't sure if he was still breathing. Could a person die of cuteness overload? Signs were pointing to yes.

"Would this special someone be a Chat Noir fan?" Alya laughed.

"Possibly his biggest one," Marinette replied cheekily. "Second biggest, now, I guess."

Adrien felt a little insulted at the dig at his ego, but admitted she was probably right. He had quite a bit of bravado and cockiness as Chat. But the second part of that sentence made him want to kiss her there and now. Alas, he would have to wait until Chat Noir could make an appearance. His knuckles were white with how hard he was clenching the table. He forced himself to relax, gave an encouraging smile. The teacher walked in and Marinette took her seat. He strained his ears to hear what she and Alya were saying, wishing he had Chat's hearing as Adrien.

"So, girl. Spill! Why the love for Chat Noir all of a sudden? Usually you don't really care about him or Ladybug that much. What changed?"

"He saved my life," she sighed dreamily.

"Honey, I hate to break it to you, but that's basically his job. And he's saved you from an akuma before, twice actually. And anyway, how come I didn't see it on the news? I hate to miss out on material for the Ladyblog."

"Not an akuma," Marinette muttered darkly.

Adrien felt his fists clench at the memory of the putrid piece of garbage that had dared to lay hands on his Princess. At least the news had reported that the cops had picked him up. Him babbling about Chat Noir assaulting him for laying hands on his girl counted as a confession of attempted sexual assault of a minor, so the cockroach got five to ten years. He deserved longer, like a few life sentences, in Adrien's opinion.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now. The point is that he saved my life. And we got to talking and he's actually super cool. He's a great guy."

"Did you meet him without the mask?" Alya inquired eagerly.

"No, and I don't need to. He's perfect the way he is. If he ever feels like telling me, he can trust me, but he can do it in his own time. I won't push," she insisted.

Adrien felt a surge of pride. His Princess was loyal and patient. Two more things to add to the list of what he loved about her.

"Alright, Mari. I wasn't gonna make you tell me. I get it, not your secret to share. But wait, what does this have to do with the guy you're impressing?"

Marinette's uncomfortable silence spoke volumes.

"Wait, is Chat Noir the guy? You're crushing on a _superhero_?" she nearly squealed.

"Shh! Alya, not so loud," Marinette hushed. "And it's a bit more mutual than crushing, thank you very much. But you seriously can't tell anyone yet. Hawk Moth could be anyone, after all. And he could try to get to Chat through me. I can't turn into a weakness."

Adrien went cold. He hadn't even thought of that. Was he putting her in danger by following his heart?

"Your secret is safe with me, girl. And I'm psyched that you're moving on from pining over the _boy-_ "

"Alya!"

"Chill, Mari. It's not like I'm gonna say his name when he's right there. But he has to be the only one who doesn't know, seriously. But good for you, dating Paris' hottest superhero. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Alya. I can't wait to see what he thinks of this..."

Adrien had a pretty good idea of Chat Noir's reaction, but it wasn't information he could share.

Marinette strolled towards her favorite garden on the way back from school. Her parents didn't need her at the bakery today, and she was hoping to run into a certain alley cat so she could show him the outfit. She hovered outside the gates to the park, glancing around for her favorite feline. The voice that sounded from behind her was not the one she wanted to hear.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm glad I ran into you. See, I meant to compliment your shirt in class but I didn't get the chance," Chloe Bourgeois announced in a lofty, mocking voice.

"Complimenting anything about me doesn't really sound like you, Chloe," Marinette pointed out, impatient to see her kitty and having no time for Chloe's antics.

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad you feel that way, about cats being better than boys, because you're going to wind up alone and single with about fifty of the mangy little furballs," she cackled.

"Fifty seems like a bit much," Marinette responded cooly, surprised at her unaffected demeanor around Chloe's taunts. Just then, she spotted a flash of black in the corner of her eye. She smothered a grin. "I think one would be plenty," she said slyly.

"Aww. I'm glad you feel that way, Princess. Does this mean that we're going steady?" a happy voice purred from over their heads.

Chloe's eyes boggled out of her head as Chat Noir dropped out of a tree next to the gates and extended an arm to Marinette. She made incoherent gasping noises as the other girl smiled and placed her hand in the crook of the superhero's elbow. Marinette smiled up at him and completely ignored the snobby blonde.

"Yes, I suppose it does, Chat. Shall we stroll through the gardens?"

"I would be delighted. Oh, I _love_ your outfit, by the way."

"Thanks," Marinette replied with a blush in her cheeks. "I made it for you, so I certainly hoped you would like it."

"I do, Princess. Very much," he rumbled, eyeing her with fire in his gaze.

They left Chloe there standing dumbfounded as she watched the class nobody walk away arm in arm with one of the saviors of Paris like she did it every day, laughing and talking. Oh, there would not be a soul in the city of light who wouldn't hear about _this_.

Marinette and Chat walked through the flowers until they reached a willow tree where they had often sat and talked. Chat tugged her to a stop beneath the bows, and Marinette tingled in anticipation of what would surely be a heart-melting kiss, but Chat was looking at his feet, seeming nervous. The bottom dropped out of her stomach. What if he'd only been helping her take Chloe down a peg and he'd really changed his mind about picking her over Ladybug? He shuffled his feet and drew a shaky breath. Marinette held hers. What he was about to say had the potential to shatter her.

"Marinette-"

 _That wasn't a good start. He only used her name when things were serious._

"I don't know if this is too sudden..."

 _No. No. Here came the fall of the hammer to break her heart._

"Or maybe a little corny, but I wanted to give you a gift."

 _Wait, what?_

Marinette hadn't realized that she'd said that part out loud until he blinked quizzically at her.

"What were you expecting? That I was going to break up with you after one kiss or something?" he laughed. He stopped chuckling when he saw the timid expression on her face. "Oh, Princess," he sighed. He put his hands on the sides of her face, drawing her forehead to touch his. "When are you going to learn that I'm lucky to have you? Now that I've got you, I have no plans of ever letting you go," he assured her with a grin.

"Really?" she squeaked.

"Really. Now are you ready for your present?" he sing-songed.

"Yes. I'm ready."

"Well, see, I read this thing the other day that when couples back in the day decided they were an item, the guy would give the girl a piece of jewelry, like a class ring or something, to show that they were together, and it gave me an idea. We kind of crashed together over the weekend, so I wasn't a hundred percent sure if you would want to 'go steady' or whatever, but I had hope," he babbled. "Anyhow, I had this made for you in case you said yes."

He held out a little black velvet box and popped the lid open. Marinette gasped. It was a feminine replica of his miraculous, dark metal gleaming in a wide band, adorned with little green gemstones in the shape of his signature pawprint. She squinted at the inside of the band. There were words there: For my Princess. Love _fur_ ever, your _Chaton_. It was a precisely perfect blend of sweetly romantic and ridiculous, just like Chat himself. She would have expected nothing less. The nicknames combined with the cat pun made it special. She looked up at him with shining eyes to see him watching her anxiously. Was he actually afraid that she would say no?

"So, do you like it?" he asked hopefully.

"Silly kitty. I adore it. And I love you," she answered with a beaming smile.

He looked a little thunderstruck, but got over it quickly in true Chat fashion. He grinned back and kneeled gallantly. He removed the ring from the box and held it out to her in his claws.

"Then, may I have the honor?" he intoned dramatically.

"You may," she replied in kind, before releasing a few trapped giggles.

She held out her left hand and he slipped the jewelry onto her ring finger. She held her hand in front of her, admiring the sparkle. It fit perfectly.

"It's beautiful. Thank you, _Chaton_."

"You're welcome, Princess. It looks good on you."

Their eyes met and it was like a spark jumped in the space between them, space which quickly vanished as they came together in a passionate kiss. She twined her arms around his neck and his hands gripped her waist, ever so gentle with his claws. His lips were warm and soft and she made humming noises while he purred, causing them to vibrate against each other. Each mentally admitted that it felt kind of awesome. Tongues slid along each other and heavy breathing flowed in sync. They pressed as tightly together as they could, not feeling close enough, but unlike the fiery, frantic passion of their first kiss, this was slow, gentle, almost unbearably sweet. They broke with soft smiles, still standing close together. Marinette's hand descended from Chat's shoulder to slip into his. He walked her home and gave her a soft parting kiss, promising to come see her tomorrow.

Tomorrow came, though not how she would have expected. She walked in through the doors of school, with the Chat Noir fangirl vibe toned down. She wore the bell choker, the beanie with the ears, and the ring with her usual outfit. Still, whispers followed her down the hallway. What was with everyone? They seemed almost... reverent. She walked into class and it fell dead silent. Alya waved her over unnecessarily since she was right by the door. Marinette eyed her classmates warily and took her usual seat with dawning apprehension.

"Girl, I got bad news for you. You know how you said to keep you and Chat Noir a secret?" she hissed.

"Yes?"

"Well, apparently Chloe didn't get that memo. She found out and now pretty much the whole school knows. It's only a matter of time before all of Paris knows."

"Oh, no," she moaned, burying her head in her arms.

This raised quite a few issues. What if her parents found out before she told them? They'd be mad for sure. At least they didn't know about the make-out session in her bedroom, hopefully to be followed by similar encounters. What if Hawk Moth's civilian identity found out and he used it against Chat? What if a rogue fangirl went akuma and tried to kill her out of jealousy? Copycat had done that over Ladybug, after all. Would she be able to go anywhere without being recognized? She might never have enough privacy to turn into Ladybug in public ever again.

But despite all of the difficulties this news getting out would cause, she felt an irrational tickle of pride deep in her chest. She was Chat Noir's girlfriend. He had chosen her over Ladybug. She was kind of surprised that Chloe would spread around a rumor that was likely to make Marinette more popular or interesting. Maybe she hadn't thought it through beyond spilling a secret that didn't belong to her.

Just then, Adrien sauntered in, looking very Chat-like, honestly. He had on a grin like a cat that ate the canary. What was he so happy about? Maybe he'd found his own someone. That was perfect timing. What would have been devastating a month ago was now something she could be genuinely happy for him about.

"Hey, Marinette," he greeted her first, before turning to Alya and Nino, still smiling widely.

"Hi, Adrien. You're looking quite happy today."

There was a collective gasp and at least two thuds behind them. Marinette was talking to Adrien like a person instead of a lovesick puppy with a speech impediment. The fact that she wasn't spazzing out must mean that the rumors about her dating Chat Noir were true. How else had she gotten over someone like Adrien Agreste?

"Yeah. Got some good news yesterday afternoon and it put a bit of a spring in my step. Things are going pretty well for you, too, from what I hear," the model prodded.

"So, I guess it's the worst kept secret in Paris, huh? I never expected getting a boyfriend to be newsworthy," she replied with an easy smile.

"Well, I bet you never expected to be dating a superhero," he chuckled. "What's that like?"

"Hot," she quipped with a wink. Chat must be rubbing off on her, amplifying her mischievious streak.

Her classmates felt all their eyes pop out of their heads at the same time. Where had this flirty, confident, easygoing Marinette Dupain-Cheng come from?

"But seriously. Chat's good to me. Very sweet and considerate. The perfect gentleman, despite the suggestive looks and all the cat puns. I'm lucky."

"So's he," Adrien pointed out.

Before anyone else could faint or the two could continue their new easy banter, Chloe Bourgeois sauntered into the room, smirking expectantly. When her roaming eyes landed on her nemesis looking calm as can be and smiling at her Adri-kins, her eyes narrowed. This did not meet with her expectations. Maybe she didn't know yet that everyone knew about her and Chat Noir.

"So, Marinette, did you have a _fun_ evening with your stray cat?" she mocked, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, yes. We took a walk through the flowers and he asked me to 'go steady' like an old-timey gentleman. I accepted. It was very nice. Thank you for asking, Chloe," she said pleasantly.

"Aren't you mad? Embarrassed that half the city knows about your little secret boyfriend?"

"Why would I be? It was only really a secret for Chat's sake and he seemed fine with it when he held hands with me in front of you yesterday. I don't care who knows. You could tell all of France and I wouldn't bat an eye, honestly. I'd probably be busy with my not-so-secret boyfriend anyway," Marinette replied with a careless shrug.

"How did a nobody like you snag Chat Noir, anyway?" Chloe snapped.

"It was more like Chat Noir snagged me. He was very persistent. In the end, I just couldn't say no to that cocky little smirk and those big green eyes," she sighed.

"So you just say yes to any guy who throws himself at you since you never got the guts to ask Adrien out?" Chloe laughed.

Marinette blushed an angry red. She wasn't embarrassed of Chat, but having her mostly over-with crush on Adrien broadcast like that was humiliating.

Adrien felt his blood freeze. It had been him all along? The blind idiot who hadn't seen Marinette when she was right in front of him? Well, now he felt stupid. He looked back at her to see her face splotchy and her eyes pricking with tears of humiliation. His Princess caught his eye and the sadness he saw there cut him to the quick. Her eyes flicked away in shame and she bit her lip. That did it.

"That was classless, even for you, Chloe. Lay off," Alya barked.

"What are you gonna do, reporter wannabe? Post something bad about me on your blog?" Chloe sneered.

"Shut up, Chloe," Adrien growled.

"Adri-kins?"

"No. No more 'Adri-kins.' No more putting up with your awful personality. That is it. This is the last straw. We may have been friends as kids but I do _not_ like who you've grown into. Not one bit. I've been patient. I've been the absolute model of politeness, but you have hit my limit," he seethed. "Your deliberate cruelty has caused, what, a _dozen_ akumas? That has to be some kind of record. Has it not once run through your empty head that maybe, just _maybe,_ if you were a little nicer to people, your hair would get ruined less by supervillains who want to kill you for being so annoying? I have had _enough_ of your crap. Do not speak to me again or so much as _look_ at Marinette funny until you check your attitude at the door. We're done."

He said it with such finality that Chloe just closed her mouth with a snap and sat in her seat without a word. The class was silent. The people who had fainted woke up for Adrien's outburst and promptly lost consciousness again. No one had expected him to stand up to Chloe, especially not so vehemently or in defense of Marinette. Adrien calmed himself down and turned to Marinette with a cautious smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Me? I- I'm fine. Thanks for standing up for me," she mumbled.

"That's what friends are for," he stated. "I'm just sorry I haven't said anything to her sooner."

"It's alright. Um, about what Chloe said-"

"Don't worry about it. You're a great girl, but if you had asked me two months ago, I would have still been hung up on this crush I had for ages. I just wish I'd seen that you liked me sooner. But you're with Chat Noir, and I respect that. I've never really talked to him, but he seems like a cool guy. I'm really happy for you," he insisted.

"Thanks. I'm pretty happy, too."

Then the teacher walked in and class began with a much more reserved atmosphere than usual. Marinette wasn't sure how to feel about Adrien's sudden interest in her, but she was faithful to her _Chaton_. He appeared to walk her home after school, and she talked about how weird her day had been and he held her hand and kissed her lips. They garnered a few stares, but she didn't mind. What came next was the hard part.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Chat asked.

"Isn't it a little early to be meeting my parents? This isn't an engagement ring."

"Not like that! Just- for moral support, so they can see that I'm a decent guy for themselves. Okay, so I guess it's sort of like that," he conceded.

"Yeah, alright. They'd probably like to meet you," she agreed.

It went pretty well. They freaked out a little at first, but Marinette had given the news before anyone else could, so they weren't as mad as they could have been. Tom eyed Chat suspiciously with crossed arms and asked his intentions.

"All I want is to keep your daughter safe and happy because I think she deserves the world. I care about her very much," he answered, as serious as she'd ever heard him.

Tom seemed satisfied and Sabine had insisted on sending him away with a big sack of baked goods. He thanked them profusely and poured on the charm. By the time his miraculous was beeping at him to leave, they were gushing about 'that sweet boy' and scolding Marinette for not bringing him around sooner until he told them this had been a fairly recent development. The Dupain-Chengs adored Chat Noir. So, they'd already made it past that crucial step in a relationship, so they felt pretty good about overcoming it, but little did they know, there were harder things in their way on the path ahead.

A/N: Haha. I know, I'm so melodramatic. But you love me, right? Yeah, you love me. *winks and blows air kisses at the groaning crowd*


	4. Sin & Angst You'll Like It I Promise

A/N: Am I still using dumb cat puns as chapter titles? Yes, yes I am. Do I plan on stopping any time soon? No, no I do not. Anyway, there's no violence or blood but there is sin, like serious sin. Also, sad Chat Noir. You'll see. Meaningless disclaimer: ML- not mine. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and the Adrinette squad? Not mine, either. Inferno and Origami are such minor characters that I don't need to claim ownership. Shadowspell, however, is mine. Use her concepts all you want, but maybe mention me in your author's notes to inspire your followers to check out my work? I'd really appreciate it. Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 3: _Mew_ Mean So Much to Me

Marinette had known this would happen. That didn't make it suck any less.

She was currently dodging the smoke bombs of Inferno, a fireman who had been akumatized after being falsely accused of arson. She had first degree burns on her right foot and left arm from where she'd leapt through the wall of fire to get out of the building. He had targeted the school specifically to get at her. Guilt churned in her stomach for bringing this upon everyone, putting them in danger.

Why was this wackadoo targeting her? Because Hawk Moth found out about her status as Chat's girlfriend and was trying to use her against him. The villain had assumed correctly that Chat would give up anything, including his miraculous, to protect her. She dove behind a low wall, feeling the heat of the blast from his flamethrower pass over her head. Her breath struggled out in desperate pants. Smoke inhalation was slowing her down. Inferno's face mask protected him from any such trivial worries. She fingered the ring Chat had given her as she rolled to the side and began to run in a crouch along the wall.

Chat had to be freaking out about now. This was the seventh time this had happened and he got anxious whenever they were separated, preferring to hover over her to protect her when she didn't really need it. She appreciated the gesture, but it made it a lot harder to slip away to turn into Ladybug so she could fix the mess she'd created. Once she'd caught her breath and gained some distance, she called on Tikki to transform her and she leapt into the fight, disabling Inferno with her yoyo long enough for Chat to get his akuma-infected mask and smash it with Cataclysm. She threw her lucky charm, a fire extinguisher, into the air and repaired all the damage from the fires. She felt her own lungs clear and the sting from the burns fade as the ladybug swarm swept over her in a cloud of sparkles.

She did the fist bump with Chat and bugged out before he could ask her where Marinette was. One positive from this whole situation was that there was no time wasted flirting during fights and Chat stopped being quite as reckless in protecting Ladybug. The downside was that, now that he was no longer distracted by her superhero persona, he was constantly fretting about her civilian one. It would have been endearing if it didn't always get in the way of keeping Paris safe. She would have to talk to him about priorities on their next patrol. She called for spots off and jogged out to Chat Noir.

"Hey, _Chaton_. I'm okay, I was just hiding in the post office..."

He threw his arms around her and squeezed her tight. "Don't ever scare me like that again! I was terrified for you, Princess. Are you sure you're okay? I saw the burn on your arm..."

"Ladybug's healing light fixed me up. Seriously, silly kitty. I'm _fine_. You shouldn't worry so much," she said gently, holding his hands.

"But I do worry. Ever since Chloe outed us, you've been a target. Not just for Hawk Moth, either. Don't think I don't know about the reporters and the fangirls just because you try to keep it from me," he scolded.

She flinched guiltily. "I just don't want to upset you. You've got enough on your plate as it is without fretting over me. It's not that much trouble, and _you_ are certainly worth any trouble even if it was. I'm alright, truly."

"Maybe it would be safer if we... took a break?" he suggested tentatively.

She scowled. "I'm not going anywhere, you stupid furball. You're stuck with me. There is not a chance that I am ever leaving you. No matter what," she promised.

"Marinette..."

"Shhh. You're changing back. You need to go, but you can visit me tonight. You won't have to hold the transformation for long because I found a solution to our problem~" she sing-songed.

He swallowed visibly, a smoldering heat in his emerald eyes. "I look forward to it," he purred, pecking her on the lips.

Then he was gone, away across the city. Marinette sighed. She felt the ache of exhaustion deep in her bones.

 _At least things can't get any worse than this_ , she thought.

She was wrong, of course.

Chat Noir slipped through the darkness of the Parisian night, anticipation tingling under his skin. He was looking forward to seeing his Princess again. Yet his mind was plagued with anxieties. It was his fault that Marinette was constantly in danger from akumas. His fault that the press wouldn't leave her alone. His fault that her life had been turned upside down. He was terrified that every akuma attack would be the one that would take her away from him.

But she was so capable. He had to remind himself of that sometimes. From the very first attack targeting her, she had been calm and collected. She had often helped him drive back or subdue an akuma until Ladybug could get there. Her tardiness to these fights was starting to get on his nerves. He adored his Lady, but lately, she had been unreliable in her timing. She always showed up, but usually late, already exhausted and annoyed with everything.

She had started favoring an attack where she bashed her yoyo right into the face of the akuma victim hard enough to daze them or knock them back. It made him wince in sympathy every time. He hadn't been aware that Bugaboo even had such a brutal streak. It was effective, though. It surprised the villains and Hawk Moth that the usually gentle, tiny Ladybug was becoming more like her partner, favoring smashing things with force and not an insignificant amount of anger. It threw them off long enough to win and for Ladybug to capture the akuma, fist bump Chat, and run off faster than usual. She knew that he had Marinette, so he was pretty sure that she wasn't offended at his lack of romantic attentions, but it seemed like she was still mad at him for some reason. He had no idea what he could have done.

The second the chaos was fixed, he would rush around, trying to find his Princess. She would appear, always unharmed, always forgiving. It made his heart swell with affection every time she vowed that she was okay, that she didn't hate him, that she wanted to stay. He had really lucked out in the girlfriend department.

He arrived on her terrace and did his special knock. Her welcoming call was soft enough to not be heard by her parents below, but his sensitive ears picked it up. He lifted the door, always left open for him, and dropped through. Marinette had her back to him, turning on little electric fairy lights strung up around her room. She flicked off the overhead light and suddenly the room was wrapped in a magical atmosphere.

She turned to him and his breath caught. Her hair was pinned back from her face by a gold comb and her blue eyes shimmered in the sparkly light. His eyes dropped from her face and his jaw dropped with them. Under her silky kimono-like robe, she was wearing only a black and pink bra and pink plaid pajama shorts. Her feet were bare. His breath hitched when she smiled shyly at him.

"Do you like it?"

"You're beautiful," he whispered reverently.

Her cheeks blushed rosy. "You're looking handsome yourself, tomcat. Are you ready to see my solution?" He nodded vigorously. "Okay. It was so simple once I started thinking about it." She pulled out a strip of satiny black fabric from her robe pocket. "It's a blindfold. Once you start beeping, I can put it on to eliminate temptation of looking at your secret identity. What do you think?"

"More time with you? Wearing this getup? I think that is the single best idea I've ever heard."

He peeled off his gloves and shimmied out of the top half of his suit, baring his chest. Marinette hummed in appreciation. They came together like a train crash. All the stress and guilt of the past few weeks channeled itself into energetic passionate exchange. Their kisses were frantic, firm, as though wanting to press together so hard that the shape of the other person's mouth would be left outlined on their skin once they parted. Teeth were employed more than tongues, and Chat's pointed canines made it interesting. It was a good thing that Chat had taken off his clawed gloves because they both dug fingernails into each other's skin. Pain barely registered. All they could think was a collective pounding of monosyllables: _Close. More. Need. Want. Kiss. Touch. Moan. Purr. More. Heat. Love. Grasp. Good. More._

 _Oh._

 _God._

 _Please._

 _Don't._

 _Stop._

 _I._

 _Need._

 _More._

 _Of._

 _You._

When the inevitable beeping came, Marinette drew out the strip of cloth, tying it around the upper half of her face. She couldn't see anything, but that wasn't a problem. They'd mostly been doing this with eyes closed anyway. The dark didn't bother her. She heard a faint whoosh and felt a tingle sweep over her skin. She reached up and felt around his face, brushing the skin around his eyes with her fingertips. He was out of the mask. She was never even tempted to look. Chat stripped out of his casual clothes and was back in her arms seconds later. They continued more slowly, more gently. For once, they had all the time in the world.

They fell asleep curled into each other like nesting dolls, a perfect fit. They woke sleepily the next morning and Marinette thanked her lucky stars that she'd asked Tikki to make herself scarce and had locked the trapdoor to her bedroom to prevent nosy parents. Her blindfold was still on. She smiled and felt for Chat. She found the top of his head and buried her fingers in his hair, petting just how he liked. He purred drowsily, not fully awake. She smiled at how cute he sounded.

"Good morning, _Chaton_ ," she murmured in his ear. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled her scent deeply.

"Good morning, my Lady," he mumbled sleepily, moving his arm to drag her closer.

Marinette froze. Of course. _Of course_ it had been too good to be true. Why in the world would he pick clumsy, stammering, useless Marinette over Ladybug unless she smelled like the hero? It had never been about her, not really. He just noticed the similarities between her and his partner and projected his feelings onto the civilian identity. Despair overtook her. For a moment she had really believed that she was special for some reason other than her miraculous. What a fool she'd been. She bolted to her feet like lightning, yanking herself out of his arms.

"Get out."

"What?" he muttered, starting to wake up more fully.

"I said, get out!" she yelled.

"Princess? What did I do? Tell me what I did wrong," he pleaded.

She was glad she couldn't see the wounded expression on his face. It would only have made this hurt worse, knowing he was hurt, too.

"You called me your _Lady_ ," she spat.

Adrien felt all the blood drain from his face. His limbs were stiff. He couldn't move. How could his half-asleep brain have betrayed him so? The pain in Marinette's voice was killing him. He could see the tension wracking her shaking frame from her position standing next to the bed. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, holding her robe closed as though trying to hold herself together. He reached to comfort her, mouth opening to make an apology, but as soon as his hand brushed her elbow, she flinched away violently.

"Don't touch me. I should have _known._ I should have known I was always a stand-in for Ladybug. It couldn't have been anything else. God, I was so _stupid_ ," she sobbed.

"Princess, please. I'm sorry. It was one mistake. I was half-asleep. Don't let one screw up on my part wreck this. It's you I love," he pleaded.

"I don't believe you," she said brokenly, voice cracking. "I need you to go."

"I'm sorry, Princess. I can't do that."

"I thought I made it abundantly clear that I do not want to talk to you."

"Then we don't have to talk," he agreed quickly. "I just need to keep an eye on you in case Hawk Moth sends an akuma after you. You're really upset and people have been turned for less. Just because you're furious with me doesn't mean I want any harm to come to you."

"Fine," she bit out. "Go put on your clothes and change back into Chat Noir so I can get this thing off my face."

She waited impatiently until he told her that he was back in uniform. She ripped the blindfold from her eyes and tossed it aside. She turned her back on him to change into a casual dress in a baby pink. She scraped her hair up into a twist and secured it with the pretty comb that had been removed sometime during last night's make-out session. She refused to look at him. She curled up in a ball on her bed and slowed her breathing, pulling herself together. After several minutes had passed without any sign of a black and purple butterfly, Marinette asked if he could go now.

"It's probably been long enough. Princess... Look, can we talk about-"

"No. I need some time. Some space. Just go."

He left, even though it killed him. Marinette let herself cry the second Chat was gone. How had everything gone from so wonderful to so awful so fast?

There was another akuma attack over the weekend. Madame Bustier got fed up with paperwork and became Origami. Ladybug ended up with hundreds of paper cuts from the deadly folded crane airstrike. She fixed everything with the lucky charm, a pair of scissors, and there was the usual cheering, but when the reporters swarmed, they had no interest in the fight that had just occurred. They wanted to know about Chat Noir's relationship with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Ladybug actually got pushed out of the way by Nadia Shamac so the anchor could get an interview with the male half of the Lucky duo. Chat glanced over at her in concern, reached for her shoulder, but she smacked his claws away. She bugged out without a word of goodbye.

The fun times continued on Monday, when she walked into class. Apparently, Chat had been evasive in the interview about their status. Students wanted to know the dirty details. She only snapped that they were on a break. This sent her classmates skittering away. If normally patient and sweet Marinette was ready to bite their heads off, it was time to run. Despite wanting to be left alone, she couldn't help but feel abandoned when they all ran off.

Tuesday, she reached her breaking point. Alya had entered a young journalists' competition and won first prize. She was happy for her friend, really, but she couldn't get in a word edgewise to tell her so over all of the congratulations of the other students. She was edged out of the crowd surrounding her best friend and she had a profound sense of being left on the outside.

On lunch break, she went home to help her parents in the bakery, hoping she could at least feel useful by whipping up a few macarons, only to find that the temporary help they sometimes hired was working behind the counter and she wasn't needed after all.

The final straw was the news story. She was sketching in an art room by herself, radio on to try and drown out her feelings with the noise. The broadcast that came on was an editorial that theorized that Chat Noir and Ladybug themselves were to blame for the akuma problem. They had showed up at the same time all this started, which couldn't have been a coincidence. The author even went so far as to offer the opinion that they were "two spoiled kids who caused uncountable emotional damage in their quest for attention."

That pushed Marinette over the edge. The sting of the report was that it was half true. They weren't deliberately causing this, but Hawk Moth was akumatizing people to target the heroes, to draw them out so he could take their miraculouses. It really was at least partially their fault. She felt something inside her give way. She yanked out her miraculous and shoved them in her purse. Tikki cried out and asked her what she was doing. She was trembling uncontrollably. There was a charge in the air. Something had changed, within and without.

"I think you need to get these to a safe place, Tikki."

"Marinette, what do you mean? The safest place is with you!"

"Not right now, it's not. Please, Tikki. Trust me. Nobody needs Ladybug. They don't need me."

Tikki reluctantly flew out the window with the purse to parts unknown. She was alone. Again.

Marinette dragged her hands over her face and saw her reflection in the windowpane. She had charcoal dust from her drawing pencils smudged all over her cheeks, heavy around her eyes. Marinette felt cracks beginning in the dam that held back her emotions. She turned away from the window and towards the door, which had a window, dragging her hands through her hair, mussing it from its place pinned on her head with her golden comb. She saw the students on the other side of the glass duck their heads and look away from the mess that was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Chloe passed the window and eyed her disdainfully, scoffing the word "pathetic" under her breath. And the worst thing? Marinette believed it.

The frail barrier holding back the torrent of her emotions snapped and collapsed. All of her fear, anxiety, self-hate, doubt, and loneliness came crashing over her in waves. The voice in her head was screaming: _Useless! Pathetic! Weak! Worthless! They'd all be better off if you just disappeared! Klutz! Walking disaster! What damage have you fixed that wasn't your fault in the first place? Who could love a nothing like you? Certainly not someone as confident and great as Chat Noir._

Over the noise in her mind, there came the sound of quiet flapping. She saw the purple and black butterfly flutter in through the window she'd released Tikki from. She tried to run, she really did, but the butterfly passed right through her hands thrown up in defense and settled into the gray dust on her face. A warm, strong presence flooded her consciousness.

 _Oh, you poor girl. So underappreciated. So unseen. No one notices how hard you work to help them, to keep them safe. But I notice. Even your own Chat Noir is blind to how special you are. To be second fiddle to someone like Ladybug is a shame. A crime, even. You feel powerless, alone, invisible, but I see you. I can give you power. I can help you take revenge on those who ignored you. All I need is the miraculous from each of Paris' heroes. Can you do that for me?_ the voice requested, smooth as honey.

It comforted her, soothed the ache in her chest. But there was something- some reason why she shouldn't say yes.

 _I- I don't- I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want revenge. I just want someone to see the real me. To love me for who I am. I can't accept your offer,_ she protested.

 _You don't have to harm a soul. I can give you a power that will keep them safe. So they never have to be vulnerable or afraid ever again. They will be grateful to you for saving them. They'll adore you. Don't you want that?_ he persuaded.

His voice wormed its way into the cracks and corners of her brain, dulling her resistance. It filled her to the brim with a sort of drowsy contentment. He made her feel safe. She was so tired of not feeling safe. The man on the other end of the voice cared about her. He wanted to help. She felt her resistance slip.

 _I want that,_ she agreed hesitantly. _I don't anyone to hurt like I hurt. But if I fight Ladybug and Chat Noir, I might hurt them. They've helped so many. It doesn't feel right._

 _Oh, my dear girl,_ the voice purred.

It sent a shiver through her. She wanted to make him happy, too. She wanted to please him. She needed to please him. She was _his_.

 _The miraculouses are simply the price you must pay for the power to help people. That's all I want in exchange for helping you, simply what belongs to me. The Lucky duo is just being stubborn in keeping what is rightfully mine. You will be righting a grievous wrong in addition to helping all of Paris. You have been banished to the shadows for too long now, my dear girl. I would say it's high time you put others there. What do you say, Shadowspell?_

She wanted this. She needed it. _He_ needed _her_. Someone needed her. It felt so _good_ to be needed. How could she refuse?

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

She felt the black fog bubble over her skin and she welcomed the cool stinging sensation like an old friend. She sighed in relief as it consumed her, swallowed her whole. When the darkness seeped into her skin, she stood as a new woman, no longer the weak mess of a girl who had stood in this room mere minutes ago, but someone strong, confident. Someone even better than Ladybug. Someone willing to do whatever it took.

Adrien was used to hearing random screams while going nonchalantly about his day. It was the hazard of life with akuma attacks, people screaming and running. He ran towards the sound, against the current of terrified students and staff. He changed in a closet and dashed out in between waves of panicking people. He was running towards the threat like always, but stopped cold when he heard a name among the shouts.

"Marinette!" Alya wailed, running towards the danger like him. He yanked her aside and demanded she explain why she was yelling for Marinette. "Chat! If you love her, you need to find her. I haven't seen her anywhere. After how she's been acting this week, I'm worried she might be..."

"Get to safety," he ordered her grimly. "If it isn't her, I'll get her out. If it is... I'll handle it."

Alya actually listened to him for once, sprinting with the other students for the front doors. He redoubled his efforts to make it to the atrium so he could vault his way upstairs. He cursed himself for being so careless. He'd watched her so carefully after their fight, making sure the akuma didn't get her. And now, days later, because he'd been giving her the space she'd said she wanted, he had left her unprotected. She could be-

He swallowed the lump in his throat. He was scared. He didn't want to see if he'd recognize her in akuma form. If he could still see some trace of her deep in her bluebell eyes. He wasn't sure if it would be worse to not be able see a scrap of Marinette at all. He reached the atrium, and the floors above were pitch black. He frowned. It was a good thing he had night vision. He extended his staff and alighted on the balcony on the top floor, where the darkness was most concentrated. A glance at the shadows showed them to be shifting, nearly alive. He shivered and walked faster.

He peered into the darkness. Something seemed wrong about the walls. Frowning, he crept closer and almost screamed when a dark shape stepped into view and knocked on the wall from the inside, like they were on the other side of glass. He squinted and saw that it was Nathaniel, or rather, a two-dimensional living drawing of Nathaniel, outlined like a pencil sketch of moving graffiti. The image waved and smiled, then wandered on his way. He met up with a drawing of Rose and the two progressed across the beige-painted surface, chatting amiably.

What was going on? A sweep with the flashlight on his stick confirmed that the walls were covered in these living drawings. They made no sound, like a silent film. And they were invariably happy, almost creepily so. He scanned the walls for a set of dark pigtails, not sure what he was hoping for. If she was in there, then she wasn't the akuma. He wouldn't have to fight the love of his life. If she wasn't... at least she wouldn't be trapped in a two-dimensional world. His eyes didn't find a trace of her and he slumped half in relief and half in disappointment because her absence from the walls could only mean-

"Do you like them, _Chaton_?" a voice purred silkily from the darkness.

He whipped around, jabbing his baton in the direction of the sound, a swish of fabric and a flicker in a slightly darker patch of shadow were the only indicators that his adversary had dodged. He heard the soft padding of footsteps and waited tensely for something, _anything_ to come into view. He did not have to wait long.

A girl stepped into the patch of light made by his stick hesitantly, blinking as though the sudden brightness was unpleasant. But her smile was unsettlingly wide and pointy. It was the smile he saw first, a white flash of a grin in the darkness. His heart sank as she came fully into view. There was no doubt that this was Marinette, though she looked completely changed.

She was no longer wearing her usual pink and black outfit, but clad instead in a fierce-looking dress that was a gradient of lilac darkening to violet to gray to black, with an uneven hemline. The skirt swept to the floor in the back and rose above her knees in the front in swaths of gauzy, pleated fabric. Her legs were not bare, however, covered in shimmery gray leggings. Her boots had low heels, but made only soft sounds when she took a step, not loud clicks. The torso of the dress was form-fitting, with silhouettes of black on the sides making her slim waist appear even thinner. A wrap of thin, filmy purple and gray fabric covered her shoulders and neck, and her arms were covered by long gray gloves so that the only skin that was showing was her face.

Looking at her hands, he felt a thrill of hope when he noticed that she still wore his ring. Maybe she was still in there somewhere.

Her hair was swept up and pinned back in gorgeous curls by a silver and purple pin shaped like a butterfly. Her lips were outlined in dark purple and she had gray makeup smudged around her eyes in that same butterfly shape, dripping down her cheeks. Her blue eyes looked more violet, but that could have just been the light. It was only when they fluttered that he noticed the enormous pair of lavender and black butterfly wings protruding from her back. They were blurry at the edges, so that they nearly blended into the shadows.

She was beautiful, and terrifying. She looked like a human akuma.

 _Oh, God,_ he thought. _I did this._

"You never answered my question, silly kitty," she prompted with a smile.

His heart gave a painful pang when she called him that, so similar to his Princess that it ached.

"What are they?" he croaked, already having a pretty strong suspicion.

"They're people. I put them into the drawings and they become happy. And quiet. Once they settle into their new home, they stop with all of that irritating, nonsensical screaming. They're at peace. Isn't it wonderful?" she sighed happily.

This was strange. The closest any akuma had come to wanting to help people was when Bubbler wanted to liberate the kids from the adults, but his agenda got twisted and he ended up sending anyone who didn't have fun up into the sky. Genuinely wanting to make people happy was... odd.

"I'm not sure. I don't think it's right to trap these people, Princess."

"They're not trapped," she huffed. "They're free. Free from pain, from guilt, from suffering. Nothing can hurt them in there. They're safe. Forever."

"But if it wasn't their choice, and they can't choose to leave whenever they want, that's not right. They may be safe, but they aren't free," he pointed out.

"They don't know what's good for them!" she cried, getting agitated. "They like it once they get there. They don't want to leave. And maybe being stuck is worth it if nobody can hurt you."

She looked so sad. So broken. Then her face cleared and she was all smiles again.

"But I can help them. I can help everyone. I just need your miraculous, and Ladybug's. Then I can keep my powers and I can save them all," she said excitedly.

"You know I can't do that, Princess," he sighed.

"Why not? Look, _Chaton_ , you were the only one who saw me, who listened, who cared... I don't want to hurt you, but I need your miraculous so I can stay strong. If I don't do what he wants, I go back to being clumsy, shy, stupid, invisible, worthless Marinette. I can't do that. Please just let me have your ring," she begged.

"Princess, you were always strong. You're not any of those terrible things. You are precious to me. Fight it," he insisted.

"I'm sorry, kitty. I can't. I won't. I want this. I _need_ this," she pleaded.

"That's just the akuma talking. You don't really feel that way," he said.

"Don't tell me what I feel!" she screamed.

Chat hesitated. Akumas magnified all the bad and erased all the good, but sweet, charming, lovable Marinette couldn't possibly think of herself like that, could she? Not his wonderful Princess.

"Marinette, you don't really think that way about yourself, do you?" he questioned quietly.

"That's not my name. I'm Shadowspell now. Come _on_ , Chat Noir. We both know that Marinette was anyone's second choice. When Ladybug wouldn't look twice at you no matter how you fell all over yourself to please her, you settled. There's no shame in it, only in lying about it. I hate liars," she hissed.

"I'm not lying. I was infatuated with Ladybug, and she's great, really! But I love you more than life itself, Princess. That's the truth."

"You're lying!" Shadowspell cried.

"No, I'm not. Come back to me. Please, Princess. Marinette. Come back to me," he urged, voice cracking with emotion.

Her face hardened and she scowled at him. "Fine. You love me more than life itself? Prove it. _Die for me_."

With that, she darkened and blurred into a feminine shadow with great wings, flew through the glass, and then turned solid on the other side, dropping like a stone.

"MARINETTE!" he cried out, feeling like his very soul was torn in two. "No! Oh, please. No."

He ran to the window and peered out, praying he wouldn't see her broken body splayed on the ground three stories below, only to be knocked back as a dark shape swooped up in front of him. Shadowspell hovered tauntingly a few feet away, easily keeping herself aloft with small strokes of her wings. She laughed aloud at his distraught face. It should have been an ugly sound for the cruelty in it, but it was just as high and sweet as Marinette's bell-like laugh. She winked at him and flew off.

He heard her call, "We'll play later. Right now, I have a city to liberate."

The darkness fled from the room as she vanished from sight, flitting away. The creepy happy living drawings were still there, though. Still smiling. He avoided touching the walls, just in case.

"Oh, Princess. What have I done?" he groaned into the empty sky.

A/N: I am the angst master! Maybe? At least, like, high-ranking angst adept? Anyway, I love akumatizing Marinette. I always have a blast designing her villains. Will I keep up my pattern of posting chapters within hours of each other or will I leave you in suspense? We will have to find out... Just kidding. It's like almost 2 AM and I need sleep for my class that starts in less than six hours. You're going to have to wait at least a day for the next installment, but I have every confidence that you will survive. Hugs, Me.


	5. Akuma Time

A/N: So here we get to see a lot more of Shadowspell, her powers, and her motivations. Cool, right? Hawk Moth is hard to write since we see him mainly shouting pun-filled vows of vengeance at his fancy retractable shade skylight, but I hope I did him justice. Um, there are some descriptions of pain that might sound a little scary but other than that I can't think of anything to warn you about. Superfluous disclaimer: I still don't own ML or its characters, but I do own Shadowspell. Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 4: I'm Not _Kitten_ With You

Shadowspell saw the purple outline of a butterfly appear around her face seconds before her benefactor's voice rang through her head.

 _My dear Shadowspell, you haven't forgotten your end of the agreement, have you?_

"No, Hawk Moth. I have a plan, my lord. I have Chat's attention. I need to save a few more people and my followers will aid me in my fight. There will be nowhere left in Paris to run for him. But first, I will need him to find something for me. Ladybug's miraculous is separate from her, but I don't know where. Her kwami will reach out to Chat for aid, and I will only have to follow them to her earrings," she explained quickly.

She was terrified of displeasing Hawk Moth. She owed him everything. He was the only one who cared about her at all. She wanted to make him happy. She felt bad for keeping the secret of her double identity from him, but he wouldn't love her anymore if he knew she used to be Ladybug, his nemesis. She couldn't tell him.

Hawk Moth, for his part, was astounded and impressed. His akumas were usually near-mindless, stupid puppets shooting aimlessly at everything to cause general chaos and attract the heroes. They retained few aspects of themselves once he took over. But Marinette, Shadowspell, was utterly unique. She not only gave into the irresistible pull of darkness, but welcomed it, much like the false Volpina, but far more powerful. She not only obeyed him out of fear or a sense of debt, but nearly worshipped him. It was a nice change, he thought.

 _Well thought, my dear girl. You are perhaps my best and most devoted follower yet. I am pleased with you. You take initiative, gather information before rushing in headlong. You're focused on the goal. Shadowspell, you are quite possibly my favorite akuma._

He felt her swell of pride. She truly was eager to please him. He grinned at the realization that whereas all of his other akumas had been pawns, she was a queen. Where they had been reluctant indentured servants, she gladly threw herself into the role of acolyte. He was right to have taken a special interest in this one. She didn't chafe at his orders, but rushed to obey them. She respected him.

"Thank you, my lord. I won't disappoint you. It's only a matter of time before the miraculouses are yours, and then all of Paris. I am your faithful servant," she intoned.

 _Shadowspell, you are far more than that. I'll leave you to perform your tasks. We shall speak again soon._

Shadowspell moved to comply the second the purple light faded from her vision. She hovered over the Champs Elysees, scanning the milling crowds for an opening. She spotted a cluster of people who were talking animatedly. Perfect. They would never notice her approach.

She faded into her smoky shadow form, slipping through the shade in the alcoves and arches of the nearby buildings. She drew close enough to the group's shadow to reach out and wrap her near-shapeless hand around the tail end of it. She could feel the twenty-three individual shadows in her iron fist, like stems in a bouquet. She wrapped some slack around her wrist and tugged the shadows quickly behind her as she streaked along the ground towards the nearest blank wall, her silhouette not unlike the murky shape of a shark shooting along under the water. The people fell down as one, making that awful screaming, skidding on their backs along the pavement as though dragged by the ankles.

Shadowspell reached the base of her chosen wall and swept up into its surface from the ground, taking the people's shadows with her. She rose all the way up to the eaves of the roof. Once their feet touched the wall, they melted into a two-dimensional version of themselves and continued up the inside of the wall with her. One by one, they went silent as they were converted to art. They then faded into an indistinct color chalk drawing, firming up into clear black and white pencil-like sketches of themselves. At first, they continued contorting their faces in screams though they made no sound. But once she came out of the wall and solidified, smiling warmly at her children, they calmed down. They mouthed their thanks and she heard it whispered at the back of her mind, a feather-light touch of gratitude. The contented voices joined the rest. They smiled, joy overtaking their features, and began to frolic in their new home, safe and happy.

Shadowspell turned to the confused people lingering on the street. They were eyeing her cautiously, warily. That would soon change. They too would love her. She would save them.

"Hello!" she called cheerfully. "I am Shadowspell, servant to the great and powerful Hawk Moth. I have come to free you from sorrow, from disappointment, from pain. You too will join your new friends in a world devoid of suffering. I'm here to help you," she announced.

Some people looked afraid, others tempted. She took the skittish ones first since they seemed like they would be difficult. She grasped the shadows of a three or four at a time in each hand. She pulled them into their new home, made sure that they were content, then swooped back to gather more poor souls to rescue. The volunteers gathered together in a huddle, standing still very cooperatively. Some of the runners escaped, but that was fine. She would catch all the naughty children later. Once she had emptied out the entire street, she surveyed the landscape for a building that would be worthy of those who saw the light on their own and came willingly. Those were fewer in number than she would have liked. Her eyes lit on the Arc de Triomphe. Of course. What a fitting tribute to the precious few.

She melted into the ground and extended her hands. The clever dears caught on quickly maneuvered their hands' shadows to clasp her arms and hands. She took off at high speeds, the volunteers skimming scant inches above the pavement so they wouldn't be hurt. She guided her charges onto the surface of the great monument and glided off the stone surface. She did a loop through the arch for fun and inspected her work. There was none of the temporary panic of her other children. The smiles broke out almost instantly and the thanks washed over her more thickly than before. It felt more genuine, more enthusiastic. She beamed back at them, indulging in a few minutes playing with them in the stone. But she had work to do. She detached from the wall and wrapped herself in a protective coating of darkness as she swooped for the surrounding blocks to collect the stragglers.

Soon everyone in Paris would be safe.

Chat Noir couldn't believe what he was seeing. He choked on emotion when he first saw a grinning Shadowspell drag groups of people into the walls. It was even more terrifying to see how eerily quickly the panicking people-turned-drawings calmed down as she cooed at them. He had tried to engage her a few times, but she always flew off. Typically, akumas were belligerent and eager to engage in conflict with the Lucky duo, but Shadowspell was odd, biding her time and more interested in converting people into drawings than in fighting Chat Noir.

Now he was trying to pick apart her strategy and he honestly couldn't see a pattern. Instead of taking a part of the city, then moving on to an adjacent part, or starting with all of the most crowded places, she picked a few random spots in the city center then began to focus on the outskirts. It was only when he saw the people running away from her approach and noticed that they were running back towards a part of the city that she had already conquered that he realized what she was doing. It made him sick.

She was _herding_ them, like animals, pushing them inward from the edges to corrall them. She was manipulating them into fleeing into what was already her territory. He was scared. No akuma had ever done this before, behaved so... deliberately. What had gotten into Marinette? Where was Ladybug? He'd been fighting Shadowspell, or trying to, for hours. He had detransformed and hidden until Plagg recharged about four times now. He was exhausted. Where was his partner? Had she been turned into a drawing already? Did Hawk Moth have her miraculous?

He couldn't wait around for Ladybug while the city crumbled. When Shadowspell made for the Dupain-Cheng bakery, he vaulted in to protect his girlfriend's parents... from his girlfriend. How did things get so messed up? He landed in the doorway to see Tom and Sabine holding each other, cowering before the creature that used to be their daughter. Shadowspell had her back to him.

"I just want to make you safe. Why won't you listen? You never listen," she was saying.

"Marinette, sweetie, we don't want to be wall drawings. Won't you let those people go?" Tom asked.

"That's not my name!" she barked, then calmed down with a deep breath. "I'm Shadowspell. And they aren't prisoners. I'm protecting them. In their new home, nobody can ever hurt them. They're happy, Papa. You can be happy, too. Maman, you understand, don't you?"

"Mari- Shadowspell, what if this isn't the best thing for these people? What if they want to go home to their families?" Sabine asked gently.

"It _is_ what's best. They're not sad anymore. They _are_ home, and their families will join them soon. They love me. Don't you want me to be loved?" she asked, wounded.

Meanwhile, Chat had been creeping up behind Shadowspell, making to grab the comb. It was the only object on her that could be holding the akuma. He was inches away when he saw that terrible purple butterfly outline flicker into existence around her eyes. She turned to him with a cold glare. Hawk Moth must have warned her he was coming, but it was too late. She tried to dodge him, but he snatched the comb from her hair, causing it to tumble in loose curls to the tops of her shoulders. He snapped the butterfly comb in half, expecting a black and purple butterfly to emerge, but nothing happened. The comb stayed still and unchanged. Shadowspell was laughing at him.

"You thought _that_ was my object? Would I have ever made it so easy?" she giggled, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

She huffed in annoyance. With a sweep of her hand, she summoned some of those creepy squirming shadows. Tendrils of darkness swept the longer front pieces back from her face and twined them with the rest, making a warrior-like braid and tying it off with a ribbon of shadow. She dismissed the dark helpers back to the shadowy corners of the darkened bakery.

"That's better. Now, kitty, I know you want to play, but I have some business to take care of first. It won't take but a second," she assured him with a smile.

Shadowspell lifted her hands up to shoulder level and clenched them into fists. The shadows grew tentacles that shot out and devoured the Dupain-Chengs, sucking them into the wall. Chat shouted protest that mingled with the noise of their cries of panic. When the black cloud cleared, they were drawings like everyone else, vacantly happy stares going out to Shadowspell. She smiled and put a hand up to the wall to meet theirs. She placed a tender kiss on her mother's forehead and brushed a hand against her father's cheek. She sighed in satisfaction.

"Why did you do that?"

"It feels better when people come willingly, but I can be pushy when I need to," she answered simply.

"People have willingly been turned into doodles? Who volunteers for that?" he spluttered incredulously.

"First of all, my drawings are no mere doodles," she snapped. "There's a piece of me in all of them. Second, people who see the world for what it is: dark and selfish and cruel and all too ready to kick you when you're down. They were nothing short of enthusiastic about leaving such a world behind, even though their new one has one fewer dimension."

"You're crazy."

"No, I am not. Enough flirting. I'm ready to play, aren't you?" she challenged.

"I've _been_ ready. Bring it on, butterfly!"

They come together in a violent clash. He swung his baton and she manipulated the shadows to jab at him. But she was also really good at hand to hand. Where had Marinette learned that? Shadowspell slammed her fist into his stomach with devastating force and kicked his legs out from under him. She pinned him on his back with her body. If Shadowspell hadn't been so like Marinette, he would have snarled, but instead he blushed, making her giggle and blow a kiss at him. She reached down for his miraculous without any prompting from Hawk Moth. He bucked her off, but she landed on her feet. They exchanged punches, kicks, blocks, and swings and thrusts of weaponry. Chat hated to admit it, but he was getting his butt handed to him. He looked around for a solution. What would Ladybug do? She'd fight smarter, not harder.

He noticed that some of her shadows were dedicated to blocking the windows and did not move no matter what. He figured out why when one of them strayed across a beam of sunlight, stronger now that the earlier cloud cover had burned off. It drew back from the light, quivering and smoking like it had been burned. Of course! Light conquered shadows! That was why she hadn't wanted to be directly in his flashlight beam when they first met. Chat dodged a blow from her and led her outside. She hissed in aggravation and followed him.

She couldn't attack him as much as before because she had to dedicate the majority of her shadow resources to staying in the dark. He seemed like he was fleeing, but he was drawing her to the stadium. He slid out of sight and left her hovering bewildered in the middle of the field, whipping her gaze back and forth to search for him. He made his way to the control box.

"Here, kitty, kitty! Come out, come out wherever you are," she tried to sing-song, but ended up snarling in frustration.

"Did you call for me, Princess?" he shouted from the booth.

Her head snapped towards him and she saw him there, gears turning in her head. He saw the idea click into place. She had figured out what he was doing, but too late. The floodlights came on at blinding levels of brightness and there was nowhere to run. A scream of agony tore from Shadowspell's throat. It hurt him how much that sound reminded him of Marinette's terrified cry on the night he'd saved her from that creep. He had to remind himself that he was saving her now, too. It was hard to remember that when looking at her, though.

All of her shadow umbrella evaporated and left her exposed to the blinding light. Her eyes screwed shut and her hands desperately tried to block her face. It was no use because her gloves started to fade into smoke, too. Her wings were the worst, though. They started to blacken and curl at the edges like burnt paper. She dropped out of the sky and crumpled to the ground. He would have worried about the height of the fall, but she started to writhe in pain the second she hit the grass. Shadowspell convulsed over and over, clothing smoking and skin starting to go gray. She wailed non-stop for about three minutes, barely pausing to breathe. The sound shredded his heart into tiny pieces and he was thankful that she wouldn't have to remember this once he freed her. When she was only twitching occasionally, Chat Noir turned off the lights and sprang to her side.

She was keening quietly, tears running down her face. She had curled into a tight ball and her muscles shook from how tensely she held herself. Parts of her gloves and leggings had burned away and her skirt was shorter in the back. Her wrap had vaporized entirely and her wings were completely ruined. He felt his heart stop when he saw little rivulets of dark purple blood streaming from the ragged edges of the appendages. He hadn't realized that they were a part of her, that she could feel them. He had thought of them as another shadow construct.

As he drew closer, he looked her over, wondering what her akuma could be. Her clothes had been damaged by the light, so it wasn't them, but there was nothing else. He brushed her wild hair back to check for earrings. Nothing. His eyes went to her clenched fists and spotted the ring he'd given her. It was the only possible solution. He crouched and tried to take it away, but she whimpered at his touch and flinched away. Had he really hurt her that badly? Where on earth was Ladybug? Even if he destroyed the akumatized object, there would be no healing light to fix Marinette. Now that he was near her head, he could hear her repeating something under her breath like a prayer.

"Hawk Moth, please. Help me. I'm hurt. Please, my lord, help me. I need you," she was begging.

A cold shudder shot up his spine and resonated in his gut. Shadowspell's voice, though strained with pain and exhaustion, held real hope. She truly believed that the villain who had made her into this would come to her aid if she would only say the mantra over and over. She trusted that monster to save her.

"Princess," he sighed. "Hawk Moth only cares about himself. He- he's not coming. Just tell me where your akuma is so I can help you. I can set you free."

"No," she hiccupped. "My lord is coming. He said I was special, that I was his favorite. He didn't like the others, but he loves me. He will come for me. He will," she insisted.

His stomach turned at her words. Hawk Moth was never flattering to any of the akumas beyond the initial temptation to mischief. Why the special interest in Marinette? And where was the stupid evil butterfly hiding? For a moment, he almost thought he'd freed it by accident when he heard a fluttering of papery wings. Then he looked up and a swarm of white butterflies descended from the skies, pushing him back harshly from the girl on the ground. They lifted her up tenderly. She moaned weakly in gratitude when their wings blocked some of the light. Chat Noir was floored. Hawk Moth _never_ came to rescue one of his akumas when they were losing. But he heard the smooth, deep voice speaking through the cloud of insects.

"My dear Shadowspell. What has he done to you? You see that I was right about him. He doesn't care about you like I do. I'm here. I'll bring you home. I'll make you well again," the author behind this whole nightmare promised.

Chat Noir could only watch as she was carried away by the butterflies. His ears perked to catch her mumble, "I knew you would come for me. Thank you, my lord. Thank you."

He ran his claws through his hair as he stalked out of the stadium. He'd bought Paris a few hours for Shadowspell to recover, but he hadn't stopped anything. How could he, when Hawk Moth had such a personal stake in this one? When he was willing to get directly involved? He was distracted from his thoughts when a little red blur crashed into his face. He instinctively caught it in his hands. The little creature moaned and sat up, rubbing its head. He sucked in a breath. It looked like a ladybug version of Plagg, with big blue eyes and tiny wings. It had to be Ladybug's kwami.

"Chat Noir! Thank goodness. I've been searching for you everywhere!"

"Are you alright? Who are you? Where's Ladybug?" he questioned frantically.

"I'm fine. My name is Tikki. And Ladybug is gone."

"Gone? Gone how? Like, in a drawing on the wall? Like in another city?"

"I can't say. All I can tell you is that she can't help. She's trapped right now, but she took off her miraculous before she was taken. She saw this coming and asked me to hide it, even from her. You can either pick a new Ladybug to work beside you this time or put on both miraculouses at once and do both jobs yourself," Tikki explained.

"I won't replace Ladybug, but isn't having both powers at once what Hawk Moth wants? I don't want to be like him," Chat protested.

"You don't have to keep the earrings. I'll give them back to my Chosen after she's free. Please, we have to do something."

"Alright. Show me where," he agreed. "Let's end this."

Meanwhile, Shadowspell was carried into a dimly lit room through a skylight and gently lain upon the floor. She groaned weakly. The shades over the skylight constricted, shutting out the brightness, for which she was grateful. The cool darkness felt soothing on her wounds. She felt a man kneel beside her and place a gloved hand to her hot, ashen forehead. He clucked his tongue in disapproval. Her bleary eyes saw that it was a shape she would know anywhere, the shape of her lord. The mask over his kind gray eyes had the comforting butterfly shape she'd grown to like. She saw the disappointment and condemnation in his face and she looked away in shame.

"I've failed you, my lord," she murmured. "I'm so sorry. I know I don't deserve a second chance," she acknowledged, voice cracking. "But I swear to serve you faithfully. I promise. I'll do better."

"Shhh, my dear girl," he rumbled. It was the first time she'd ever heard his voice in person instead of her head. "I'm going to help you, like I said I would. I'm a man of my word. You will rise again, Shadowspell. Better than before. This I swear."

She blinked tears out of her eyes and gazed up at the man she adored, gasping in shock. "You... you're giving me another chance?"

"Of course. I told you, you're different than the others, more valuable. You are too precious to waste over one mistake. We'll bring Chat Noir to us and you can destroy him for how he hurt you. He can't aim those nasty lights at you here. How would you like to help me plan out how to get his miraculous and find Ladybug's?" Hawk Moth offered.

"I would like that very much. Once we take care of Chat Noir, we can simply take the rest of Paris and make them into my children. They can help us search the city for Ladybug's miraculous," she suggested eagerly.

"Brilliant, my dear."

Chat Noir was sprinting through Paris, desperately running for Marinette's home, where Tikki said that she'd hidden Ladybug's miraculous because it would be the last place Shadowspell would think to look. As they passed all of the buildings that had Shadowspell's living drawings on them, Chat shivered. The happy smiles had been replaced with looks of dead-eyed menace. Their charcoal gazes seemed to follow him wherever he went. No longer were the shadow people roaming across their walls, but standing perfectly still, staring out at him with unveiled hatred. He supposed it made sense. Shadowspell's powers made the living drawings love her, and he had burned her with giant spotlights.

The three-dimensional people who remained were wandering from wall to wall, looking for their loved ones in lines of ink. He spotted Alya by the school, looking brokenly at the wall by the door. His heart kicked against his ribcage when he saw that she was staring at Nino, who was one of the few shadow people still smiling. He was beckoning to Alya with an easy grin that looked so familiar and yet had an unsettling edge to it. He pointedly did not look at the corruption of his best friend. At least it wasn't as bad as when he was Bubbler.

"Alya!" he called.

She turned to him with tears in her eyes. "Chat Noir? Did you find Marinette? Is she the akuma?"

He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Yes. She's calling herself Shadowspell. She thinks she's helping people by putting them somewhere they can never get hurt again. She- she dragged her parents into a wall by wrapping shadow tentacles around them."

Alya covered her mouth in horror. "That's awful! Poor Mari. But why is she doing this? And how? An akuma attack has never lasted this long before. Why haven't you and Ladybug saved her yet?"

"I'm trying, but I'm on my own. Ladybug got nabbed almost first thing. As for why, we had a fight and then a bunch of stuff happened this week to pile up and make her feel unloved and invisible. I feel like it's all my fault," he sighed.

"Hey, it's not your fault, Chat. People get turned for all kinds of reasons. And I know for a fact that Marinette is crazy about you. She never takes off the ring you gave her. Hey, could that be the object you need to break?" Alya suggested.

"I don't know. I broke her comb and that didn't work, and she wouldn't let me get close when I went for the ring. Then Hawk Moth abducted her. I have no idea how to do this by myself," he growled, dragging his hands through his hair angrily.

"If she won't let you touch it, then there's a good chance that that's where the akuma is hiding. I'd start there the next time you can pin her down. And what do you mean, Hawk Moth abducted her?"

"I mean that she called out to him and he sent a big cloud of butterflies to scoop her up and carry her off to parts unknown," he grumbled.

"That's crazy. He never shows up, not even as a bunch of butterflies. What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know," Chat groaned. "All of this is unprecedented. It seems like Hawk Moth has taken a shine to Marinette for some reason."

"Do you think you can get all of the people out of the walls without Ladybug?" Alya asked quietly.

"Not unless Shadowspell has a change of heart. I'm the destruction one, not the healing one. My skill set does not include the red light that fixes everything. But I'll find Ladybug, and she'll save them. I promise."

"I believe you," she whispered. "I just wish things would hurry up and get back to normal."

She sighed and leaned against the wall out of habit. A second too late, Chat realized that this was a bad idea and reached out to pull her away. Nino's creepy grin turned feral and his shadowy arms shot out and wrapped around Alya's waist. Chat screamed her name as she was yanked back into the wall. She morphed into a drawing, but she panicked for a much longer time than the rest of Shadowspell's victims ever had. Eventually, a calm settled over her features and a soft smile spread across her face. He thought he saw her mouth the word "mother."

Chat Noir backed away from the wall warily. So this was why Shadowspell had been herding the citizens of Paris back towards her conquered spots like prey. The people she had already turned could pull people into the walls, too. He shouted at all of the nearby civilians not to get too close to the shadow people and to spread the word as he ran the rest of the way to the bakery. He shivered as he passed the drawings of the Dupain-Chengs. They were still smiling placidly.

Tikki led him up to Marinette's room. He felt the ache of being back in a place where he had so many good memories and one very bad one like a kick to the stomach. Tikki floated over to Marinette's dresser and he followed. He spotted the blindfold discarded on the top and fingered the material with a smile. He had been Adrien Agreste for part of the time he'd been kissing her and had felt the thrill of it like fire in his veins.

It had all gone sour, of course, but he wouldn't let the good times be tainted by their fight over his stupid slip-up. She had just smelled so much like Ladybug that his brain had been confused for a second. And it was at least partially because of that moment of unfocused mumbling that half the city's population was two-dimensional at the moment. That moment was part of the reason that Marinette, his Princess, was in the clutches of Hawk Moth.

"Here they are!" Tikki squeaked.

She flew out holding a hexagonal box that looked familiar. He opened it to see Ladybug's earrings resting on soft fabric. His hand hesitated over them. What if he screwed this up, too?

"You have to put them on, Chat. It's the only way to save the city. To save Marinette."

"My ears aren't even pierced," he protested weakly.

"If Plagg were here, he'd tell you to man up."

He laughed at the accuracy of that statement and picked up the miraculous. Tikki helped guide the posts through his ears as he shoved them in. There were flecks of blood on his claws and shoulders when he finished the painful task with a grimace.

"So, what do I say to activate them? I somehow doubt it's 'claws out!'" he snorted.

"You say 'Spots on!'" Tikki explained.

"Alright. Here goes everything. Tikki, spots-!"

He was interrupted by a huge shadowy hand leaping from the wall to grab at his ear. He dodged to the side only thanks to the speed of his cat-like reflexes. It was the drawing of Tom, looking furious. A pair of hands grabbed him around the ankles and yanked him off his feet. He didn't have to look down to confirm that it was Sabine, slithering across the floor.

 _Great! She can control them from a distance,_ he thought bitterly. _And they can move across any connected flat surface._

Sabine reached down from the ceiling and snatched at his ear- actually pulled it pretty hard.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" he yelped, wrenching away only to stumble over a lump that lurched up from a rug as Tom's big fist shot up from the ground.

Paintings were knocked off walls and light fixtures swung crazily as Tom and Sabine continued to haphazardly try to grab the miraculous right out of his ears. The Dupain-Chengs hounded him all the way out the door, but couldn't seem to leave the building.

He rushed from the house and found that every shadow person in Paris was nipping at his heels, trying to grab his miraculouses. It was like an infestation. There were so many! Some of the ones that had been pulled into exterior walls could sweep along the roads beneath his feet, so he pole-vaulted a lot of the way to minimize contact with the ground..

Tikki tucked herself in his pocket and rode along as he fled. After awhile, he noticed that he was being shepherded somewhere. A darkened, dome-shaped glass structure seemed to be the destination. A handful of white butterflies slipping in through the skylight was all the assurance he needed that this was Hawk Moth's lair.

He dove through the first door he saw and slammed it behind him. The shadows at the entrance made no sound, but all the light from outside disappeared as they slammed into the door, making it shudder against the impact. Since they didn't seem to be able to get in, he turned to survey the room behind him. His heart stopped.

Standing not twenty feet away was his arch nemesis. He was clad in a dark purple suit not unlike theirs, with a purple brooch at the collar. His miraculous. His mask covered everything but his mouth. He leaned on an elegant-looking cane. His cold gray eyes looked him over in a way that screamed "unimpressed." There was something familiar about that icy gaze.

"Ah, Chat Noir. So nice of you to join us. Do you have what I want?" he inquired in the voice that disturbed his sleep on dark nights.

"That depends. Do you have Marinette?" Chat growled.

"If you mean Shadowspell, then yes. I do. Would you like to see her?"

He stepped aside, revealing a tall pod made of pale gray silken threads. A cocoon. Marinette was in there?

"What is she doing in that thing?" Chat hissed.

"Healing the damage that _you_ did to her. She needed to regain her strength."

"Can I ask why you're taking such an interest? Typically, akumatized people are disposable to you," he spat.

"Your Princess is unique among my creations. All of the others were mere minions, pawns. Completely expendable. Shadowspell is... a devoted acolyte. A queen. You see, most akuma have to be erased down to a single moment of negative emotion. For this reason, they are unaware of their actions once you 'cure' them and typically act only in interest to their single-minded goal. They have to be coerced, forced, bribed, threatened, in order to get them to comply. They obey out of a sense of debt or pure fear," he scoffed. "Shadowspell, however- she wanted this. She's awake in there. She thinks for herself, plans out your demise, is adaptable to my commands. She listens to me because she wants to please me. She genuinely wants to follow me. I haven't had to remind her about the miraculouses once."

He spoke with a gentle warmth about her that made Chat shiver. Hawk Moth wasn't going to let someone like Marinette go easily. Then again, neither was he.

"So, she actually likes you? I cannot imagine why," he snarked.

"She does more than that. She worships me. She only wants to be loved and appreciated, and for someone who does what I ask so easily, it isn't hard to grant her that wish. She's perfect," he sighed.

"Um, you do know she's like less than half your age, right? That's creepy, even for you."

"Foolish feline," the villain laughed. "That is not the sort of love I mean. Mentorship. Protection. This is the affection I bestow. However, I am aware that my son likes her other persona rather a lot. Perhaps she will make a good gift to him. He deserves only the best, after all."

"Okay, first of all, people aren't gifts. They aren't property to be exchanged. Second, who put up with you long enough to give you a kid?"

Suddenly, the cocoon began to tremble, a large split beginning near the top of the bundle.

"Ah, it looks like my butterfly is going to emerge soon. Care to see how she turned out?"

Chat watched the chrysalis with building dread.

Would whatever came out of that thing still be Marinette? Or had he lost her for good?


	6. Boss Battle

A/N: Hello! I am SO sorry that it's taken me ages to update. I get so sidetracked with other projects and I kinda forgot that I never actually finished and posted the epic conclusion. Whoops! Also, to my first guest reviewer, I have read On the Prowl, and you're right, that part in chapter 2 with Chat's threat is really similar. I have unintentionally plagiarized and I heartily apologize. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! For those of you who haven't read ghostgirl19's awesome fic, check it out! They're actually one of my favorite fanfic authors, and I feel bad about so directly "borrowing" from their work. Totally my bad. Anyhow, here's the final chapter of Shadows and Light. Disclaimer once again: I don't own ML. Onwards and upwards!

Chapter 5: I'd Give My Ninth Life for You

The fissure in the cocoon ripped open all the way from top to bottom right down the middle. The sides peeled back and revealed Marinette lying back against the rear of her pod, arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed, posed like a corpse.

She looked much the same as she had before in her Shadowspell form, but less human than before. Her skin was a soft, shimmery purple. Her makeup was darker than before to compensate. Her dark hair was cropped short, bobbed at the jaw. Antennae had sprouted from her forehead and her fingers under the gloves had elongated into claws. His heart sank when he saw that she no longer wore his ring. Great. Now where could the akuma be?

She looked taller and thinner than she had before, too. As he peered closer, he could see a second set of arms folded beneath the first. Even her shoes were scarier-looking, with spike heels that looked honed to kill a man. The back of her skirt was shorter and the wrap stayed gone. Her wings were almost entirely black.

The most terrifying thing was her eyes.

When they snapped open, he felt his stomach twist. They weren't even close to the bluebell eyes he remembered. No, they were solid, pupiless orbs of black. They seemed to cut right through him. He shuddered.

She leaned forward, pushing herself with three arms and extending the fourth to Hawk Moth, who elegantly helped her out of the cocoon like a gentleman handing a lady out of a carriage. She never wobbled, though she looked dizzy and a bit disoriented.

"You look enchanting, my dear Shadowspell. How do you feel?" Hawk Moth inquired.

"I... feel... _wonderful_ ," she exulted in a voice that was not at all like Marinette's. It was much lower with just a bit of rasp to it, like a jazz singer in a smoky lounge.

"I am glad that my favorite akuma has made such a full recovery. Chat Noir has stopped by to visit us. Would you two like to play?" he chuckled.

"Gladly, my lord," she purred.

Well, if there was ever a time for ultimate power, it was now.

"Tikki, spots on!" he called.

The little kwami zipped from his pocket and he felt the transformation wash over him. He looked at himself when it finished. He had some red spots here and there and a hard, beetle-like casing on his back. His stick had turned into a sort of mace, with Ladybug's yoyo as the flail. He felt strong, like he could take on anything. Shadowspell and Hawk Moth were scowling.

"Well, at least we won't have to look for Ladybug's miraculous. He's brought it right to us," Shadowspell commented.

"Take it, then," the villain ordered.

"Yes, my lord."

They fought long and hard. Her extra fists were making this more difficult, but his doubled power seemed to give him extra ability to dodge and gave any hits he managed to get in an additional punch. They were both breathing raggedly and nursing wounds. He had dislocated one of her lower shoulders and she had gotten in a vicious swipe at his thigh, which bled shallowly. His lucky charm shield had barely managed to save him from a shadow tentacle that tried to slice his head off. He couldn't keep this up. Where was the akuma? If he could get her to listen, she could just _tell_ him.

Wait. That was it! When he'd been out of his right mind under Dark Cupid's influence, Ladybug had kissed him to snap him out of it. He could do the same with Marinette, hopefully.

"Why won't you just hold still?" she hissed, shadows poised to strike. "You've already lost."

"All you had to do was ask, Princess," he forced a chuckle.

He stood with his arms splayed open, an easy smile on his face. He sweated nervously. This was a gamble that she'd come in close for the ring instead of sending her shadows to do it or killing him first and then taking it. She took the bait, although cautiously. Shadowspell stalked up, leaned in to grab his ring, and then was caught completely off guard when Chat grabbed her face and smashed his mouth against hers.

Her crazy height transformation meant that he had to pull her down a couple of inches. She tried to use her hands to push him back, but he held on tight and soon those hands wrapped around his neck and waist. That was a weird sensation, but at least she was kissing back.

Soon, he felt the pair at his waist vanish. He was the one leaning down now. He didn't stop until her lips warmed and her tongue came to tease his lips. Chat drew back and looked at her. The transformation was astonishing. Before, she'd looked like a human akuma, but now she looked like a human version of the purified butterflies.

Her wings had gone entirely white. Her skin was back to normal and her antennae had disappeared. She was her appropriate height and build with little silver flats instead of spike heels. Her dress was now soft white and gray and lavender and her gloves and leggings were gone. Her hair was back to its old length, falling loose over her shoulders. She still had the gray smeared around her eyes, but when they opened, they were the sweet bluebell ones he loved so much. She was lovely. She smiled at him like she used to, full of warmth.

" _Chaton?_ You're here."

"Of course I am, Princess. Now, there's something important I need you to tell me. Where is your akuma?" he asked, peering over her shoulder to find Hawk Moth gone.

She blinked rapidly, trying to re-orient herself now that she was in her right mind. "It's, uh, in the charcoal dust on my face.".

"Well, how am I supposed to break that? Wash your face?"

"Maybe you just have to interrupt the lines. I think that you may have to use your claws. Scratch it," she suggested.

He blanched. "I can't just claw you across the face!"

"You may have to. This akuma isn't going to stay quiet forever. This close to my skin, I wouldn't be surprised if it's trying to worm its way into my head. You have to do it now," she insisted. "I'll be fine."

It hurt him so deeply, but he did it. He slashed his claws across the gray smudges, barely hard enough to leave red marks. It was enough. She barely whimpered and assured him over and over that it was okay, she was okay. The black butterfly flitted out of her face and he took it down and purified it. Chat tossed the lucky charm into the air and the light swept over everything. Marinette was engulfed by black fog and reverted to normal, and her face healed.

"You did it, _Chaton_ ," she cheered, throwing herself at him to hug him tightly.

He squeezed her back and buried his face in her hair. "I'm just happy you're safe, Princess."

The ladybug charm wore out first because he hadn't needed Cataclysm, but his ring was beeping.

"You have to go, kitty, but I'd like to see you tonight, if that's okay," she murmured into his shoulder.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Princess. I'll drop you off closer to home first, though."

He made it to the school before he had to run off to detransform. Tikki took her mistress's earrings back and promised to get them to Ladybug. The pierced holes were still there, though the healing light had made them less irritated and prone to bleeding. He hoped no one would notice them at school and ask questions.

"It's been a crazy day, huh, Plagg?"

"Kid, that is an understatement. Never in the history of kwamis and miraculous holders has _anything_ like this happened. Hawk Moth is escalating," he spat. "You're going to want to check on your girlfriend sooner rather than later. She may be tough, but being akumatized is hideous, let alone as thoroughly as she was."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, Adrien. I know you noticed it," Plagg growled. "Marinette was almost a villain in her own right. You saw how weirdly devoted she was to him. I've only known something like that to happen one of two ways: One, the victim is already kind of dark, and more susceptible to being evilized. I've met that ray of sunshine you like to make out with so much, so that rules that one out. Two: The butterfly miraculous holder pushes harder than normal to put a victim in thrall because they want that akuma on their side more than most of their previous slaves."

"That's insane. Why would Hawk Moth want Marinette so badly?" Adrien scoffed. "It's not like he knows her."

"You know it's true. You heard how he talked about her. He didn't want to let her go. Think about it; why is it that _you_ are so obsessed with Marinette?"

"I could list a hundred reasons. Her courage, her kindness, her creativity, her selflessness, her loyalty to her friends..."

"Exactly," Plagg interrupted. "If a thick-headed teenager like you can tell that she's remarkable..."

"Hey!"

"Then imagine how much more a man with world experience and an eye for talent sees," he continued, unaffected by Adrien's cry of protest. "He had quite the hold on her, and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to get her back."

"How? You can only akumatize someone once."

"In general, yes, but there are ways around it," Plagg admitted.

"What?" he yelped.

"If Hawk Moth has ever gotten ahold of any miraculous research, then he could have found a footnote or two from past Chosen who got creative in the wrong ways. Like I said, I would check on your girlfriend sooner rather than later."

"She's not expecting me until tonight, but now you've got me worried," he grumbled. "The second you're good to go, it's claws out."

Chat Noir vaulted over to the bakery just before sunset, but he never made it to the balcony. He stopped dead when he saw the flashing lights of the police cruisers parked on the street out front, then sprinted to the caution tape.

A couple of officers tried to prevent him from crossing the line to the crime scene, but he hissed at them and they backed off hastily.

Sabine clung to Tom in the kitchen, tears streaming silently down her face. Tom was less stoic, his expression crumpled in despair and worry. They were finishing up talking to a detective, but when they saw him, a light of hope sparked in their eyes. Sabine rushed to him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Chat. Please, you have to help find her," Marinette's mother begged him. "He took her... she's gone, and the police don't have a clue where to look. I know you care about her, and we just-" she broke off with a shuddering breath, lips trembling. "You need to save our daughter. Please."

Tom stepped forward and drew his wife back to his side, where she buried her face in his chest. "You can look in her room," he offered, voice cracking. "I don't know if it will help, but... you can go upstairs and check."

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain. I'll go look. And I promise, I will do everything in my power to bring Marinette home safely. I'll get her back. I swear it," he vowed.

"We know, son," he said. "We would have called you first if we knew how."

Chat walked heavily up the stairs, feet thudding like those of a doomed man plodding towards the gallows. He felt the weight of Marinette's abduction on his shoulders. He should have hurried. If he had only been here sooner, insisted on walking her all the way home, then maybe none of this would have happened.

A cruel voice in the back of his head whispered that he never should have started dating her as Chat Noir in the first place.

 _She would have been better off never having known you_.

He shook it off. He was glad that he had met and fallen in love with Marinette in the mask. It was him at his most free, and that was the side of him that he wanted her to know first. But he did regret that it had put her in danger. He was going to fix it, though. He had to.

He reached the top of the ladder to Marinette's room and pushed open the trapdoor. He swung up into the space and couldn't help but gape at the sight before him.

A giant purple butterfly shape like the mask on akuma victims was painted on the wall beside the shattered window, dripping and clearly done in a hurry. The words "SHE IS MINE" were written inside it in all capital letters and underlined. His stomach twisted and his heart clenched in his chest.

Hawk Moth had his Princess.

He was burning with rage, muscles shaking with the effort of not clawing the hated symbol on the wall to bits along with an inch of plaster underneath. He inhaled deeply and forced himself to think clearly. He had been to Hawk Moth's hideout earlier today, though he was being chased by shadow people at the time. He knew how to get there, theoretically. He was going to storm the castle, and get his Princess back. Nothing would get in his way.

And that fool who dared lay hands on her a second time would not get off so easily this round.

He heard a soft rapping at the window and he whirled, baton at the ready, but it was only Tikki, holding Ladybug's earrings.

"I came back for the box..." she whispered. "What... what happened here?"

"Hawk Moth has Marinette, but not for long," he growled. "Tikki, do you think I could borrow Ladybug's miraculous once more?"

"Do whatever you have to to get her back," Tikki replied gravely, looking more angry than he'd seen her in the short time they'd been acquainted.

He slid the posts of the studs into his lobes, not minding the fresh prick of pain.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Chat made it back to the dome-shaped building, noting that it wasn't that far from his house. To think that his nemesis had been so close all this time made him grind his teeth.

He decided "Screw subtlety" and smashed through the skylight with extreme prejudice. He dropped to the ground amid a shower of broken glass into a fighting pose, already feeling angry before he saw Marinette unconscious, stood up in the cocoon again, which Hawk Moth was halfway done sealing up with threads again. When he took that in, he swung from pissed off to righteous fury.

"You will step away or I will make you," he said coldly.

"Ah, Chat Noir. We meet again so soon. You are aware, of course, that we do have a door," his enemy informed him calmly.

"You're done," Chat snarled. "It's over."

"On the contrary," Hawk Moth laughed, casually reaching in to stroke Marinette's cheek with a hand, making Chat clench his fists. "I'm _winning_."

With that, he quickly swept a hand up the side of the cocoon, the silky grey threads twining together to close the gap, concealing Marinette totally from sight.

Chat howled in rage and came at Hawk Moth with a swing of his baton. He was blocked by the man's cane and kicked back hard, knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over to catch his breath to the sound of the villain's triumphant cackling. He decided to change tactics.

He bared his claws and leapt to swipe open the cocoon, but was again hit with Hawk Moth's cane.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he advised in a friendly tone.

"Why not?" Chat hissed.

"Think for a moment, boy. You look to be of an age where you ought to have taken at least a rudimentary biology course- that is, if you aren't a complete simpleton, which is my estimation of you" Hawk Moth sneered. "What happens to butterflies inside of cocoons?"

Chat froze, and when he thought about it, was begrudgingly grateful to the evil man in front of him for preventing his attempt to shred the cocoon.

"They break down into liquid and reassemble their entire bodies," he grumbled. "Is that what is happening to Marinette?"

"I have no way of knowing, but most likely not. However, I cannot be certain because I have never had reason to risk peeking in on someone worth the energy it takes to craft a cocoon. I would prefer to play it safe with the young woman's life, wouldn't you?"

"What is your deal?" Chat shouted. "Why are you obsessed with my girlfriend?"

"At first, I was only interested in your Princess as bait or leverage," he admitted. "But when she assisted in beating back every akuma I sent for her without the aid of a miraculous, I knew that I had stumbled upon something rare. A _resilient_."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he huffed.

"Someone naturally very tough, with the purity of soul, the incorruptibility of character, that makes it more difficult to evilize them," Hawk Moth explained. "Simply put, Marinette has an unyielding strength of mind and spirit that makes it so that she could never be akumatized for any reasons so petty as embarrassment or annoyance, unlike most of the masses. I encountered her integrity and creativity in handling an offense to her long before I found out that she held your heart, so I suspected it long ago, but only after I saw her in action through the eyes of my akuma was my hunch confirmed."

"If Marinette is so resilient, then how did you infect her in the first place?" Chat shot back.

"Two reasons," he retorted with a smirk. "First, she is quite young yet, and still sensitive and... unfinished. She hasn't fully developed her indomitable spirit. She still cares about others thinking well of her."

"And second?"

"Boy," Hawk Moth laughed, "there is nothing _petty_ about succumbing to the pain of heartbreak. It is only human."

The implication in the words was clear: It was his fault for hurting her. He felt defeat creep in on the heels of crushing guilt. How was he, so inexperienced and reckless, supposed to win against this man who batted him away like he was nothing, even wearing two miraculous?

Just then, the cocoon shook violently. Both he and Hawk Moth turned to examine the pod that contained Marinette.

Unlike last time, the split from top to bottom was not gradual. The wall of the cocoon was sliced apart lightning-quick by something sharp. Chat gulped. Did she have claws again? What if she was even scarier than the last time she came out of that thing? He couldn't picture that, but anything was possible.

Fingers appeared at the edges of the tear and pried apart the gap with a sudden wrench. Marinette stepped out, a fierce look of determination on her face and Chat's jaw hit the floor as his fear that she would be terrifying flew out the window.

Marinette was gorgeous.

She was wearing a bright teal dress, high-collared with cap sleeves, with a skirt slit up both sides that fell to her shins, embroidered in a pale green looping pattern like feathers. It was paired with leggings and arm guards in a matching green, along with calf-high white boots. Her feathered mask included both teal and green, and her eyes were their usual lovely blue as they stared out from behind it. Her hair was braided back from her face and streaked with teal as well. She would have looked completely un-scary if not for the low green belt on her hips that had one crescent-shaped white dagger sheathed and the matching weapon gripped competently in her right hand. He gulped.

Marinette barely spared him a glance before turning towards Hawk Moth with a professional click of her heels and a quick salute paired with a smirk. His heart panged. It was the same smirk that she wore when she teased him and called him a silly kitty.

"Sir," she greeted Hawk Moth.

"Ah, my dear Cerulienne, how are you feeling?" he asked with a triumphant gleam in his eye.

She loosed the other dagger from her belt and twirled both in her hands experimentally, shadow-boxing in a way with slashes and jabs before letting her arms fall to her sides. She nodded in satisfaction.

"Excellent. Everything seems to be working properly again. I like the knives," she complimented. "As useful as shadow powers were, the vulnerability to something as superfluous as light was not appreciated."

"I thought it best to remove that chink in your armor. So you like the new look?"

She grinned. "Very much, Sir."

"I'm glad. Now, are you ready to finish what we started and get the miraculous?" he purred.

"With pleasure," she confirmed with a wicked glint in her eyes.

"You see, Chat Noir, she was never yours. She has always been _mine_ , even before she knew it," he gloated. "My queen in this little chess game we've been playing. Alas, the match is over now, and I'm afraid it's time I called checkmate at last." He nodded at her to give the signal to advance.

Shadowspell took a step towards Chat, but then, suddenly and without warning, whirled and sliced Hawk Moth's cane in half and punched him square across the jaw. The only person more surprised than Hawk Moth was Chat. The villain staggered back, spluttering indignantly before she hauled him down by the collar and got in his face.

"Let's get something straight. I don't belong to you. I am _no one's_ chess piece," she growled. "There is a very important difference between being someone's boyfriend and brainwashing her, kidnapping her, and then shoving her in a cocoon! You're insane, and you're right. The game is over now. But here's the thing."

She sliced off his miraculous neatly with one of her knives and then stepped back from him with a shove that sent him toppling to the floor.

"You aren't the one calling checkmate."

A purple light swept over him and revealed the man underneath to be none other than Gabriel Agreste. Chat felt this information like a punch to the stomach. Marinette covered her mouth with her hands.

" _Oh_ , oh no," she whispered softly. "Adrien is going to be devastated."

Chat swallowed several times and cleared his throat roughly. "I'm going to call the police. Can you keep an eye on him until I get back?"

"Of course," she told him, flipping her dagger once and pointing it at the de-throned villain.

He stalked off to an outer room of the building, dropped the Ladybug half of the transformation, and phoned the police with his baton, professionally informing them that Hawk Moth was Gabriel, he had been captured, and here was the address to come to. Look for a gigantic broken window. When he hung up, he let himself be upset, granted sixty seconds to freak the heck out in private, then calmed himself down and rejoined Marinette in the main room.

"He try anything?"

"Nope," she informed him. "I think he's still in shock that his perfect akuma betrayed him. He hasn't moved since you left."

"How did you do it?" Hawk Moth- Gabriel whispered in awe. "It shouldn't have been possible for you to turn against me, either time."

"The answer is simple," she huffed. "The first time, I was reminded that I love Chat far more than I wanted to make you happy. Him kissing me woke up some of my better memories and I was able to break free." She glanced at Chat adoringly and he felt a smile creep onto his cheeks.

"And the second time?" Chat prompted.

"Well, this time I got my powers from a miraculous, not an akuma," she said, pointing to the jewel on her belt with the hand not holding the dagger. "The thing is, the cocoon can impart additional power or expedited healing, but not mind-control. Free will means that I'm siding with Chat. Every time."

"But it should have worked," Gabriel muttered. "The cocoon should have worked!" He added softly, "I thought I'd finally created the perfect ally."

"Given the choice, I wouldn't have been on your side," Marinette sighed. "I don't want to help you take my boyfriend's miraculous. I never did."

Just then, the police arrived and started barking orders and reading rights. Gabriel was handcuffed, and though the police eyed her warily, Chat assured them that she was fine. Everyone other than the lab techs examining the lair walked outside. Gabriel dug in his heels to stop before being thrust into the patrol car.

He called out to her as she walked away, "You truly are something special, Miss Dupain- Cheng."

Her shoulders stiffened but she did not turn around. She simply slipped her hand into Chat's and kept going.

"So," he began. "Um, how do we get the whole bird thing off you?"

"It's up to me. All I have to do is say the transformation phrase," she replied, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "But first I want to tell my parents I'm alive and then check on Adrien. I want him to hear it from me, not the news."

"Er, about that," he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "There's something I need to tell you once we're alone."

She searched his eyes and told him, "Me, too."

After an awkward several minutes explaining to parents, police, and friends that Marinette was fine, they were alone in her room. Marinette had tacked a piece of fabric over the butterfly graffiti still on the wall because neither could stand to look at it. She had detransformed the second they were alone.

"So, are you going to be a miraculous hero, now?" Chat coughed, breaking the silence.

"Um, about that: I have something I need to confess to you." She fidgeted, mussing the covers on her spot on the bed.

"What is it, Princess? You can tell me anything," he urged, taking hold of her hand.

"Okay, so this is really hard to say, but... I'm kind of already a miraculous hero. I'm Ladybug," she blurted, looking guilty.

"Wait, what?" Chat choked. "Okay. Wow. I just- man, everything makes sense now. This is great! My two favorite girls are the same person. You know, now that you mention it, I can totally see it."

"You're not- you're not disappointed? That Ladybug is me?" she asked timidly.

"Marinette, how could I be disappointed? This is wonderful!" he exclaimed, leaning forward to take her face in his hands and kiss her forehead. He pulled back and looked deep into her eyes and smiled so wide his face hurt. " _You're_ wonderful."

Blushing as pink as her walls, she nuzzled her face into his hand and smiled. "I'm lucky to have you, you silly kitty."

"Well you _are_ Lady Luck," he joked, only laughing when she made a face at him. "So, I guess that makes my confession easier. After all, the only reason I kept my identity secret from Marinette is because Ladybug said we had to. But, er- I would like to show you instead of tell you. Under the mask, I'm someone you know. I hope you're not disappointed, either."

"Chaton, there isn't a single face that could be under there that would disappoint me. Unless you're Nino, in which case I will _kill_ you for cheating on Alya," she teased.

"Actually, you're pretty close," he chuckled, letting the transformation drop.

Her eyes blew wide and she opened and closed her mouth incoherently. "Oh, wow. Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Alright. You're Adrien. Adrien Agreste. I've had a crush on you for _years_ and- oh no, are you okay?"

He blinked. "Um, I'm still working on okay. It's not every day you find out your dad is a supervillain that's been trying to kill you and your girlfriend for ages. It will take some time before I'm near the mark of okay. But I would much rather focus on the part where you said you've had a crush on me for a long time," he changed the subject with a flirtatious grin.

Marinette let him, face aflame. "Yeah, obviously," she muttered. "What did you think all the stuttering and fumbling was about?"

"I thought you were scared of me," he confessed. "Geez, I was an idiot. I cannot believe we've been turning each other down all this time because we were already in love with each other but thought we were different people." He shook his head in disbelief.

"We're idiots," she agreed, giggling.

"At least now we know the truth and we can stop circling each other helplessly," Adrien snorted. "God, how long do you think that could have gone on?"

"Forever?" she guessed. "Like I said, we're idiots."

"You may be right, Princess." Adrien went quiet, just sitting there, holding her hand. "Can I say something?"

"Of course, _chaton_. You can tell me anything," she repeated his words back to him with a sincere smile.

"I love you," he said breathlessly. "All of you. I love fighting evil with you. I love losing to you at Mecha-strike. I love patrols, and lazy afternoons, and sharing pastries, and being an unstoppable team. I'm so glad that my girlfriend and my partner are the same person, and I can't believe I ever got this lucky."

" _I'm_ the lucky one, kitty," Marinette said with a dopey grin and happy tears in her eyes.

She pulled him in for a toe-tingling kiss and neither moved from Marinette's bed for a long time.

Later, they'd give the peacock miraculous to Master Fu. Later they'd face the fallout of Gabriel Agreste's defeat as Hawk Moth. Later they'd awkwardly publicly transition from dating as Marinette and Chat to as Adrien and Marinette and as Ladybug and Chat. Later, they'd figure out the new normal now that all the secrets were out in the open.

One thing was for certain: they'd do it like they did everything else- together.

A/N: The end! Wow! This has taken a stupidly long time to finish. Sorry again. I decided to make Marinette the peacock again like I did in Azura because why not? Planning another story where Marinette has a different miraculous as the bee (a villain again because evil!Marinette is so fun to write), so _bee_ on the lookout. Ha! (I'm hilarious, right?) I hope everyone likes the ending okay. I feel like I've changed since I started this project not that many chapters ago. I love and appreciate all of you, dear readers, and extra special thanks to those who followed, favorited, and reviewed! You make my day.


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